You Had Me at First Sight
by Miranda Pippin
Summary: When Emma gets sucked into the portal to the Enchanted Forest, her sister Danny follows without a second thought. What Danny doesn't realize is that she will meet a certain handsome pirate along the way. Will the normally closed off girl let this man into her heart? Will Hook give up his quest for revenge in order to find love again?
1. Chapter 1

**Prologue**

**A/N: This is my first story, so I appreciate feedback. Just please, I'd prefer it if you weren't rude about any criticisms you may have. I've never been very good at starting stories, so I apologize if this isn't a very good first chapter. The next chapter is finished, I just need to proofread it. I should have it up by tonight. Also, I am trying to be as original as I can be with this story, so if I use something from another story, I apologize, it is completely unintentional. Thank you very much, I hope you enjoy my story as much as I enjoy Hook ;)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Once Upon a Time or any of its ****characters, unfortunately.**

Danny Swan and her sister Emma weren't normal twins. They were about as different as night and day, not only in looks but personality as well. While Emma was the fair haired, independent type, Danny was the stubborn and rebellious sister. When they were 15, the sisters were separated because the foster family hadn't wanted to risk the complications that came with troublesome twins. So Danny ran away and lived on the street for two years, before she was able to get an apprenticeship at a tattoo shop. When the sisters turned 18, they lived together briefly, until Emma left again to be with her boyfriend, Neal. Two years later when Emma was arrested, Danny left the shop she had worked at to be closer to her sister, and be there for her when she was released.

After that, they had lived together for a few years before Emma moved back to Boston, in order to try and start over for herself, while Danny kept moving around. As a living, she traveled the world guest spotting in tattoo shops and showing her art in galleries; most of the time she lived out of suitcases and hotel rooms, making it difficult for her to make lasting friendships.

Despite the differences and frequent fights between the two, they always managed to resolve their problems. It sometimes took longer then others, and they often went years without seeing each other, but every time, without fail, one of them would break and they would make up, traditionally with junk food and movie marathons. Danny and Emma were best friends. They were blood, and blood always sticks together. So when Emma had called Dani desperately on their 28th birthday, distressed and rambling about her long lost son and how he had run away to find her, Danny had driven all night to a little town called Storybrooke, knowing that her sister needed her.

While Emma had seemed to fit right in with the town, minus the whole Regina hating her and trying to throw her out of town anyway. Danny on the other hand was much more standoffish. She had never been the type to settle down, so when the sisters had decided to stay indefinitely, it was difficult for Danny to put down roots. The only two people Dani had really gotten close to were Ruby and Henry; most of the others in town just ignored her, thinking of her as Emma's oddball sister.

Danny had jumped into the portal after Emma had been sucked in after the wraith. Emma, Danny, David and Mary Margaret had been trying to save Regina's life, by sending the wraith that was after her through a portal to what was left of the Enchanted Forest. But the wraith had somehow latched onto Emma, dragging her in with it.

Danny had jumped in without a thought. They were sisters, and sisters always found a way to save each other.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: A Newcomer**

**A/N: Here is the second Chapter, I hope you like it.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Once Upon a Time or any of its characters. If I did, I probably wouldn't be writing this.**

Danny rolled her eyes at the topic that Emma, Mary Margaret and Aurora were discussing. She didn't really care that much about what they told the survivors when they returned to the safe haven, she mused silently, if Danny had her way they would just tell everyone to buckle down and shut up. Cora is a problem that needs to be dealt with and they couldn't be babysitting a bunch of villagers while trying to deal with the problem. But then again that was why many people didn't like Danny very much. They considered her to be too blunt and tactless. Emma and Mary Margaret felt that being _delicate _would spare the survivors feelings.

Danny laughed dryly at that, _we should tell them the truth_, she thought, _anyone who lives in this place should be strong enough to handle the truth and all its gory little details._

Mulan who was at the front stopped suddenly, motioning for the others to do the same, "Wait," she said urgently, "The tower; we always have sentries guarding the entrance." She drew her sword as she finished, "Stay close."

Danny crouched slightly into a fighting position and drew the two daggers she had hanging at her hips. Moving quickly, Danny stayed a few paces behind Mulan in order to make sure that her back was protected. Aurora followed closely behind which left Emma and Mary Margaret in the back of the group.

Running warily into the campsite, the five women discovered a gruesome scene. Someone, or something had murdered every single person in the camp. Bodies lay everywhere, smoke billowed up from the fires that had burned there just hours ago.

"Oh my God," Emma cried staring at the bodies in horror.

Danny was quick to hide her disgust as she started searching the mass for any survivors, knowing that if there were any, they would likely need first aid.

As the group dispersed looking for survivors, Mulan demanded angrily, "This can't be. Our land; we were protected here, hidden. How did the ogres find us?"

Mary Margaret looked at the bodies slowly putting it together, "Ogres didn't do this."

"What?"

"Cora did." Danny cut in quietly. "She ripped out their hearts. This is her magic, same as Regina's. Twisted and evil."

"We have to stop her!" Mary Margaret cried.

"We are too late," Mulan said resigned. "She killed them, she killed them all."

"We have to stop her before she hurts anyone else!" Mary Margaret grew in volume, anger apparent in her voice.

Emma stopped suddenly, looking down at one of the bodies, "Hey! Hey! There, look!"

"There's someone under there," Aurora cried, moving quickly to where Emma had been pointing.

Mary Margaret and Mulan both rushed to help Emma and Aurora uncover the man who was hidden under the bodies of others.

"Please," she heard a man cry, his voice accented, "Please help me!" He turned over and looked up at the four women, fear in his eyes.

"You safe now, we won't hurt you," Mary Margaret said softly, so as not to startle him.

"Thank you," he whispered, eyes widening with relief, breathing heavy from the trauma.

Danny looked on at the scene, face impassive as she observed the handsome newcomer. His hair was an inky black, disheveled and shaggy, he had facial hair framing his mouth and chin, stubble covering the rest of his strong jaw. But what startled Dani the most were his eyes; they were a beautiful blue, the color of the sea. His eyes projected a myriad of different emotions, the force of which took Danny's breath away.

Immediately, she was suspicious. She would remember eyes like those, and while they hadn't spent much time in the camp earlier, Danny was sure she would have remembered those eyes.

"Emma," she beckoned quietly, knowing that Emma of all people would understand her reservations. Her voice, quiet as it may have been, drew the attention of everyone, including the handsome stranger who had yet to notice her. When their eyes met, Danny was once again startled by how blue his eyes were. Yes, she thought to herself. I most certainly would remember those eyes.

Danny pulled Emma to the side, "Em," she murmured urgently, "there's something fishy about him... I don't remember seeing him at all when we were here."

Emma looked at her incredulously, "Danny..." She hesitated, "We weren't here for very long, and most of the time we spent here we were locked in a cell."

"Emma, please," she stressed. "At least be cautious... Use your superpower that you love so much." She added with a slight smirk.

Emma's lip quirked up into a small smile, "I was planning on it, sis."

Emma took Danny's arm and led her over to where Mulan was walking, "Have you seen him before?" Emma asked.

"Yes, I've seen him around. He is a blacksmith. Came to our camp a couple months ago. He said he lost his hand in an ogre attack." Mulan replied.

"Why would Cora leave a survivor? It's messy. Doesn't make sense," Emma mused to herself.

"He's got to be working for her!" Danny said forcefully, "He has to be a spy, Emma!"

"Calm down, Danny, we don't know that yet for sure." Emma said calmly.

"You think he lying?" Mulan asked, concerned.

"I think Cora has tricked us before," Danny said rationally.

"And we don't want that to happen again. So let's just be cautious," Emma intervened. Turning to the man she offered a cup of water she had retrieved, "Here you go."

The man turned to the trio that approached and smiled gratefully up at them, "I-I can't thank you enough for your kindness. Fortune, it seems fit to show me favor," he breathed.

Danny raised her eyebrows, fortune indeed, she thought as she watched him drink from the cup.

"An island full of corpses and you're the only one to escape?" Danny says disbelievingly. "How exactly did that happen?"

Emma turns abruptly at Danny's sharp tone, giving her a look that says, 'Shut the hell up and let me handle this.'

Danny scoffs and looks back at the man expectantly.

He looks in between the two quickly before answering hesitantly, "She attacked at night. Slaughtered everyone in one fell swoop. When she started ripping out peoples hearts, I hid under the bodies of those that had already been killed," he shifted uncomfortably and looked in between the women before looking back at Danny. "I pretended to be dead myself. Mercifully the ruse worked." he said, a pleading look on his face, imploring them to believe him.

"So much for favoring the brave," Emma stated.

"It was all I could do to survive," the man replied.

As Danny observed the man speaking, she noticed that when he had shifted in his seat, the rags he was wearing appeared to be covering up some type of leather jacket or vest. Nudging Emma, she nodded minutely to where she was looking.

Emma leaned down to get a better look while lowering her voice to the man, "I'm going to let you in on a little secret. I'm pretty good at knowing when someone is lying to me."

"I'm telling you the truth," he replied just as quietly.

Emma smiled sadly at the man, now knowing that Dani's suspicions were true. He was lying about something and she would find out what it was.

"We should leave here," Mulan said loudly, "In case Cora decides to come back."

"We should start searching for a new portal back to Storybrooke," Mary Margaret added. "I only got about five minutes with my husband. Not to mention my grandson."

The man looked over at her last comment, "You have a grandson?" he asked face contorted with surprise.

"Long story," she sighed.

"I know this land well, I can guide you-"

Emma who had slowly been moving behind the man quickly withdrew her dagger and placed it up against the man's neck, "You are not going to guide us anywhere until you tell us who you really are!"


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: The Interrogation**

**Disclaimer: See Chapter 1**

The man panted shallowly as Emma pressed the blade against his neck, walking him over to a large tree.

"Danny, a little help here!" Emma called out.

Grabbing rope from the nearest hut, Danny called back in a joking tone, "Do I get to hold a knife up to the handsome man's neck to?"

She grinned, not waiting for a response, as she wrapped the rope around the him and the tree multiple times before tying the knot tightly. When she looked back at the man, he was watching her, fear written across his face.

"Oh come on," she winked. "As long as you tell us the truth, we won't bite." She paused, "Well, they won't. I might."

"Danny!" Mary Margaret said, appalled that her daughter would flirt, however jokingly at a man that could be a spy.

Danny rolled her eyes and took a step back, face falling into a neutral expression again as Emma stepped up.

"I already told you, I'm just a blacksmith!" He pleaded, eyes desperately moving from one woman to another.

"Sure you are," Emma brought her hand to her mouth and whistled as loud as she could.

Danny smiled slightly and stepped up, knowing exactly what Emma was thinking, "You don't want to talk to us? Maybe you'll talk to the ogres while they rip you limb from limb," she said, the menacing growl heard behind them adding emphasis to her words.

"Come on," Danny said quickly, pushing the others to move away from the clearing.

"You can't just leave me here like this!" The man shouted, fist clenching with panic.

Aurora paused slightly, looking at him, "What if he's telling the truth?"

"He's not," Emma called back to her.

The man took a deep breath before he called out to the group, "Good for you!" he cried, a derisive laugh passed his lips. "You bested me. I can count the amount of people that have done that on one hand."

Danny turned around and couldn't help letting a chuckle escape, "Pun intended?"

"Is that supposed to be funny?" Emma marched up to him with a serious expression on her face. "Who are you?"

He sighed before speaking, "Killian Jones, but most people know me better by my more colorful monicker-"

"Ooooh can I guess?" Danny asked in a abnormally giddy voice.

Killian stared at her, one eyebrow cocked as if questioning her sanity. After a moment of silence, his free hand made a gesture to go ahead.

"You're Captain Hook, aren't you?" She quietly, wonder filling her voice. He had always been her favorite villain.

Surprise fluttered across his face before he quickly masked it, "Yes," he replied, "Indeed I am."

Danny smiled victoriously as Mary Margaret's face went from confusion to dread, "Hook."

"Check my satchel," he said earnestly, motioning with his head to the satchel she carried. "I see you all have heard of me," he said smugly with a grin on his face. They all turned abruptly as another roar was heard, this one sounding closer than before.

Hook pursed his lips with annoyance as Emma turned back to him, "You better hurry up. They're getting closer. So unless you want to be dinner you better start talking."

_I bet he'd taste good_, Danny mused to herself, grinning slightly as her thoughts took a dirty turn. She watched as he smiled resignedly, "Cora wanted me to gain your trust so I could learn everything there is to know about your Storybrooke. She didn't want any surprises when she finally got over there."

"She can't get there, we destroyed the wardrobe," Mary Margaret said assuredly.

"Ah, but the enchantment remains," he replied; tone cocky. "Cora gathered the ashes and is going to use them to open up a portal." The ogres' roars were getting closer by the minute now. Hook glared toward the direction that the noise was coming from, "Now if you would _kindly_ cut me loose."

"No!" Mulan objected. "We should leave him here to die, to pay for all the lives he took."

"That was Cora, not me," Hook replied testily.

"Lets go," Emma said resolutely.

"Wait. Wait!" Hook yelled, desperation lacing his tone. "You need me alive."

"Why?" Dani asked curiously, willing to give him a chance.

"Because we both want the same thing," Danny raised her eyebrows at that. "To get back to your land."

"You would say anything to save yourself, why are we supposed to believe you now?" Emma challenged, face drawn tight with suspicion.

"I arranged for transport with Cora, but seeing how resourceful you are, I'll offer you the same deal. I'll help you, if you promise to take me along."

"How are _you _going to help us get home?" Mary Margaret asked apprehensively.

"The ashes will open a portal, but to find your land, she needs more. There is an enchanted compass; Cora seeks it. I'll help you obtain it before she does."

"So Cora won't make it to Storybrooke and we'll be one step closer to getting home," Danny breathed, realization crossing her face. Hook nodded slightly, eyeing Danny thoughtfully.

Mary Margaret shook her head, "It sounds to good to be true."

"There is only one way to find out," Hook muttered through clenched teeth. Everyone jumped as more ogres roared this time; the sound was nearly deafening.

"You tell me one thing, and whatever you say, I better believe it," Emma threatened, her knife held in front of his eyes. "Why does Captain Hook want to go to Storybrooke?"

He looked into her eyes, determination fierce within his blue ones, "To exact revenge on the man the took my hand; Rumplestiltskin."

After a few tense moments, Danny giggled, drawing everyones attention toward her, "Well that was exciting!" She sung, skipping closer to Hook as she drew her own dagger. "Let's get out of here, before the ogres decide that we taste like chicken!" Danny cut the bonds swiftly and grabbed Hook's good hand and started running the opposite direction of the ogres, "Time to go ladies!" She called back to the women who were gawking at her sudden change of mood.

Danny pulled Hook along behind her as they ran up ahead of the group. At that moment, Hook took an opportunity to observe the strange woman that had just set him free. She was tall for a woman, only a few inches shorter than himself, and she had a nice figure; curves in all the right places, and he could tell that there was definitely strength in her muscles. A strong woman. His eyes rose up to the back of her head; the moment he had looked at her he had seen she was beautiful. She had long dark brown hair that, in the sunlight had a red tint to it, her eyes were a dark forest green that held a deep sorrow within. She had high cheekbones and full red lips that were set in a constant frown until she smiled. One thing about her that especially drew his eyes were the vast amount of tattoos that adorned her skin, they littered her arms and hands, and he could even see some peeking out of the back of her shirt. Hook was intrigued, never before had he seen a woman with so much body art before.

_Yes, she is indeed a great beauty,_ Hook thought to himself, smirking slightly thinking about all the different ways he would ravish her if they were truly alone.

Lost in his thoughts, Hook failed to notice Danny stop and turn around in order to wait for the others to catch up. Catching him watching her, she smirks widely, "See something you like?" She chuckles, bringing Hook's attention back to her.

Hook smirks back and slowly looks her up and down, checking her out, "Aye, indeed I do." Hook breathes; his voice drops lower when he speaks, setting Danny's body on fire as she watches him.

"Danielle! What the hell?" Danny jumped slightly at the voice before she quickly pulls her hand away from Hook's so that the others don't see. Emma and the rest of the group emerge from the forest panting slightly. Emma marches up to Danny and grabs her by the arm tightly, dragging her away from the others, mouth set into a frown eyebrows furrowed with frustration.

"That was a reckless thing to do, Danny! He could have hurt you, we don't know for sure if we can trust him yet!" Emma chastised harshly. "Besides, weren't _you_ the one that said we shouldn't trust him?"

Danny glared at Emma, roughly jerking her arm out of Emma's grasp, "Oh please, if this compass is legit then we will have the upper hand against Cora, and I know enough about sell swords and pirates to know that they choose the side with the best advantage. With his help, we will have that advantage Emma! I'm not Henry, Emma. You can't treat me like a child. I was wary about him because he was lying to us, but now... Now I think we can trust him Emma."

Emma sighed, uncertainty covering her face, "Danny, I don't know."

"Em, please," Danny sighed, "if you can't trust him... Trust me. I'm your sister, you should at least be able to do that."

Emma reluctantly agreed, "Fine, but I'm going to tie his arms up just incase. And the minute he does anything questionable, I _will_ leave him behind."

Danny pursed her lips, frowning lightly at Emma's last comment, and walked over to the group. Mary Margaret walked towards Danny quickly and hugged her fiercely. Danny's body tensed, her arms stayed limply by her side, "Danny, you scared us all."

Danny pushed away lightly, uncomfortable with the affection, not noticing Mary Margaret's face fall slightly at the action.

"We should get going," Emma said, watching the interaction between her mother and sister, while she wrapped the rope around Hook's arms. "Hook, you lead the way."

He nodded and gestured as well as he could with his arms, "Up ahead, we'll find the compass just over the ridge."

**A/N: I decided to post another chapter tonight because I got a review and it made me happy, so for future reference, I am more motivated to post when I get reviews. I hope that Danny's personality seems realistic, I know she seems different in this chapter, I'm just trying to show that while she is cautious, she also has a more fun side to her. And lets face it, I'd probably be drooling if I ever got the chance to meet Hook, especially with all his naughty innuendos. Also, this story is rated M for a reason. There will be swearing, and suggestive content. I haven't decided about any explicit smut yet however, since I have never written any and I don't know how it would turn out. **


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: The Beanstalk**

Mary Margaret and Emma fell behind to the back of the group conversing with each other quietly.

"Do you get the feeling that he is leading us exactly where Cora wants and that this whole thing is a trap?" Mary Margaret asked.

"Its definitely a trap," Emma murmured, eyes on Danny's back to make sure she wouldn't overhear them. "As long as we know they are trying to play us, we can-"

"Stay one step ahead of them," Mary Margaret finished.

"Exactly," Emma breathed. Catching up with the others, Emma spoke aloud, "Let me guess; the compass is up there," she gestured to view ahead. A monstrous looking beanstalk loomed ahead, growing straight up into the sky, rising higher then the clouds.

"Oh yeah," Hook said assuredly.

"So how do we... get to it?" Emma asked hesitantly.

"Its not the climb you need to worry about, its the giant at the top," Hook said dully, grinning slightly at Emma's dismay.

"Well," Danny said sarcastically, "Who doesn't love a good challenge?"

Emma rolled her eyes and started leading the group in the direction of the beanstalk, Mulan pushing Hook roughly to get him moving.

Danny jogged slightly ahead to catch up with Emma, "Hey," she said softly, "How are you doing?"

Emma looked at her sister with a pained look on her face, "I gotta get back to Henry, Danny," she uttered reluctantly, not wanting to appear weak.

Dani put her arm around Emma's shoulders, "And you will Emma, I know it. If anyone can find a way, it will be you and Mary Margaret."

Emma glanced sideways at her, "You gotta give yourself more credit Dan, you were the one that first suspected Hook."

Danny sighed, "Yeah, but now you don't trust him at all."

She continued before Emma had a chance to interrupt. "But that's not what I wanted to talk to you about."

"What's wrong?" Emma inquired curiously.

"Don't take this the wrong way Em, but I don't want you to go up that beanstalk," Danny said firmly.

"What?" Emma barked. "Why the hell not?

Danny sighed, pulling Emma to a stop, "I know that look in your eyes, Emma," She said flatly. "Do you really want the list?" At Emma's insistent nod, she spoke quietly, hearing the others come closer, "You're emotionally compromised, Em; all you can think about is getting back to Henry, which would make anyone desperate, desperate enough to not see things clearly. You're sleep deprived and not to mention the fact that you don't do well with heights!" Danny had gotten louder trying to get her point across, catching the attention of the others.

"Everything alright, ladies?" Hook called out looking between the sisters and smirking slightly seeing Danny frustrated.

Danny took a deep breath, "Yeah, everything is fine," she said, giving Emma a meaningful look before walking off. "I like the leather by the way, I can't wait to see the rest," Danny added to Hook as she walked past him, motioning to his collar.

After she had passed, Hook looked down slightly mystified that she had seen the jacket underneath the peasant robes he was wearing.

About a half an hour later, the group reached the giant beanstalk, stopping to stare at the monstrosity before them that didn't seem to have an end.

"Its a little freakier then I remember from the story," Emma sighed, squinting up at the beanstalk.

"It reminds me of death," Mulan said morbidly.

"Encouraging," Mary Margaret replied sarcastically. Danny chuckled at that, thinking the same thing.

"Well," Hook nodded towards the stalk, "Your compass awaits. Shall we?"

"Wait," Emma said rather skeptically, following him as he made his way closer, "These beans... create portals... ?Why not just pick one and go home? Why the compass?"

"Because there aren't any more beans. Whatever story you think you know, my dears, are most certainly wrong." Hook said matter-of-factly.

"There was a guy named Jack, and a cow, and something about evil giants with the treasure, and a golden goose," Emma said trying to remember the details of the tale.

"Or a harp!" Danny piped in also trying to remember.

Hook looked at them amused, "Sounds like a lovely tale," he said, smile fading, "but the truth is a little more gruesome. The giants grew the beans, but rather than use them for good, they used them to plunder all the lands; Jack and his men fought a terrible war, defeating all but one of the evil giants. The beans were destroyed by the giants as they died; if they couldn't have the magic then nobody could. Its very bad form."

"Evil giants," Emma said trying to wrap her head around the real tale, "who made magic portal beans... Why doesn't anyone just go up and grow some more?"

"Because one giant survived," Hook said seriously, "The strongest, the most terrible of them all. Now we'll have to get past him to-"

"The magic compass," Mary Margaret said dubiously, interrupting him. She looked at Emma, disbelief written across her face, before looking down.

"Indeed," Hook said biting his lip with a grin. "The treasure remains, and amongst it: the compass. Now it will guide us to your land, Cora has the means to open a portal with the wardrobe ashes, but she can't find your land without the compass. Once we get it... Steal the ashes from her and we're on are way."

Mary Margaret and Mulan glared at him suspiciously. "How do we know your not just using us to get the compass for Cora?" Mulan asked.

Hook looked away before answering, "Because you five are far safer company. All I need is a ride back, and I swear allegiance to whoever gets me there first."

Mary Margaret nodded at his answer, somewhat satisfied.

"Then we better start climbing," Emma said, ready to go. Danny grabbed her arm, ready to stop her.

"Right. So," Hook laughed, "I failed to mention that the giant enchanted the beanstalk to repel intruders."

"Alright, so how do we get up there?" Emma demanded.

"Well I got a counter spell from Cora, if you'd be so kind," Hook motioned to his still bound limbs.

Danny looked at the others' reluctant faces, and rolled her eyes before making her way towards him, "Come on, you guys. What is he going to do against four armed women?" She cut his bonds with a switchblade she kept in her boot.

Hook leaned down slightly as she did so, grinning smugly, "Thank you, my lady," he whispered, winking at her.

Danny smirked back, but didn't respond, feeling the others' wary eyes on her back. She watched intently as he took those awful peasant robes off, and revealed his leather clad body.

Emma pulled her back slightly giving her a warning look as Hook held up his good hand, motioning to his forearm and knocking on a glowing brace that he wore. "I've got one more of these," he wiggled his fingers for good effect. "Cora was to accompany me. So," he appraised each of them, "which one of you five lovelies shall take her place? Hmm?" He smirked deviously. "Go on fight it out, don't be afraid to, y'know, _really_ get into it."

Emma looked at him, slightly disgusted at his words, while Danny grinned playfully at him as he sat down on a nearby rock. She turned away to see the others had huddled together, arguing over who should go.

"All due respect, I'm the best equipped to go!" Mulan said loudly. "How many wars have you been through?"

"My share," Mary Margaret responded to Mulan, agitated.

"Why is it that when someone starts off with the phrase all due respect, they really mean 'kiss my ass'?" Danny asked thoughtfully, not noticing the glare Mulan gave her.

"It should be me!" Aurora cut in.

Danny laughed loudly at that, "You don't even know how to wield that little letter opener you've got there! How can you be expected to handle a giant?"

"You haven't fought in a battle!" Mulan dismissed.

"This is about us getting home, to _our_ land, our loved ones. Why would you-?" Mary Margaret stepped in.

"Because we have no loved ones." Aurora cried. "If I fail, you can still go on."

Emma finally stepped in, "Its me, I'm going and I'm not going to fail."

"No fucking way you're going up there!" Danny stepped in, angry her sister hadn't heeded her warning.

"I'm not taking no for an answer," Emma tried to assert.

"Over my dead body, you are!" Danny shouted. "Here's the deal: I'm the most physically fit, least emotionally compromised person here, for chrissake, and I know that at least half of you would leave Hook up there the first chance you get!" Danny took a deep breath before continuing, "I'm going up there and that's final."

She stared hard at Emma for a few moments, before Emma backed down, raising her hands in surrender, "Fine," she ground out.

"Good," Dani looked over to Mulan, "You got anything in there that could help me with a giant?"

"Or Hook?" Mulan asked eyes darting between them.

"Hey!" Came his indignant reply.

"Only if it gets him on his back," Danny smirked back at him, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively. He smirked slightly, still annoyed at Mulan's comment.

Mulan looked at him distrustfully, "Come with me," she said to Danny, walking far enough away to where they wouldn't be overheard. She opened her satchel and took out a white bag, "This. Powder made from poppies. He has to inhale it."

Danny looked it over before noticing Mulan's blade, "How strong is your sword?" Danny jerked her head toward it.

"The most powerful blade in all the realms." Mulan looked at her questioningly.

"It better be strong enough to cut through that beanstalk. If we don't come down in ten hours, I want you to cut it down and take Emma and Mary Margaret and get them away from here."

"They won't like that," Mulan replied.

"That's why I'm asking you," Danny emphasized, knowing she would do it. "If I don't come back, you get them home."

Mulan nodded her understanding.

"Ladies," Hook called slightly annoyed, "in this world we are slaves to time, and ours is running out. In other words tick tock."

Danny turned from Mulan and made her way over to Hook, holding up her arm for the cuff.

He nodded his approval, "I was hoping it would be you."

"Just get on with it," Danny said, suddenly nervous about the imminent climb.

He grabbed her wrist and moved it towards his shoulder, "Just put your hand right here," he grinned flirtatiously, "that's a good girl." She felt him take a quiet breath before he started to speak again, sending shivers up her spine. "This will allow you to climb," he pat the brace he had just put on her, causing it to light up with magic, "there are other dangers. Thankfully you've got me to protect you."

Danny scoffed, "I don't need protecting."

He grinned smugly, ignoring her comment and gestured towards his left arm, "I can't climb one handed, can I?"

She nodded and quickly searched the satchel, grabbing it the hook when her fingers felt the cool metal.

"Don't think I'm taking my eyes off you for a second." Danny teased, watching as he twisted his hook into place.

"I would despair if you did," he breathed.

Danny put the strap from the bag over his head, and pulled him closer with it, "You look sexy with that hook," she breathed before pushing him away, leaving him momentarily stunned. "Let's go," she called over her shoulder.

Hook gave a frustrated laugh, "Damn siren, that one," he muttered to himself before taking his place along side her at the beanstalk.

Before, beginning the climb, Danny turned slightly and nodded goodbye at Emma and Mary Margaret, knowing this may well be the last time she would see them.

**A/N: Kudos to anyone who noticed the Mass Effect reference. First of all, I'd like to thank everyone who has favorited or followed this story, I hope you enjoy it and thank you for giving it a chance. Right now I'm currently on the 7th chapter, and I have written other snippets of chapters later on, so I do have an idea of how I want this story to play out. While there will be much flirting, as there always is with the lovely Captain Hook, I do believe that this will be slow going romance-wize... Also, as of right now, I have no idea how often I will be posting new chapters. I hope to get out at least one every other day, but I do also have schoolwork, which unfortunately comes first. Thank you for reading!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: Climbing the Beanstalk**

Hook and Danny made their way steadily up the beanstalk.

Danny was so focused on maintaing her grip, that they passed the first few hours in silence.

Hook eventually broke the silence, looking down at her, "First beanstalk?" She looked up at him eyebrows quirked, "Well, you never forget your first." She didn't respond, looking down slightly for another foothold. "Y'know, most men would take your silence as off-putting, but I love a challenge."

"Maybe I'm just admiring the view," Danny quipped back, eyes moving to his backside.

"Oh really?" He said, looking quite pleased.

She rolled her eyes, "No. I'm concentrating."

His smile fell a little, "No, you're afraid. Afraid to talk about anything _important; _to reveal yourself," Danny scoffed. "Trust me, things will be a lot smoother if you do."

"Shouldn't you be used to people not trusting you?" Dani asked curiously.

"Ahhh, the pirate thing... Well you don't need to share anyway, you're something of an open book," he said pragmatically

"Contrary to what you might think," Danny started, "I'm the only one that does seem to trust you. And how the hell am I an 'open book'?" She said annoyed at his presumption.

He grinned, "You volunteered to come up here because you were the most motivated."

"How do you figure that?" Danny asked. "Emma would've been the most motivated, she's the one with a kid to get back to."

"Ahh, but that's the point. You're trying to protect your sister, whose decision-making would be compromised due to her feelings."

"That's not exactly perception. That's eaves-dropping." Danny said flatly, pulling herself up to his level.

"Yeah, but you don't want to lose the last person that still hasn't abandoned you." He replied knowingly.

Danny turned away looking at the beanstalk once more, "Is that true?" she asked flatly.

"Like I said. Open book." He smiled at Dani who was still avoiding eye contact.

"How the hell did you know that?" She said, irritated at his attentiveness.

"I spent many years in Neverland, home of the lost boys. They all share the same look in their eyes. That look you get when you've been left alone," he said sympathetically.

"Yeah well, my world sure as hell isn't Neverland." Danny said continuing to climb.

"But an orphan is an orphan, even if they do have siblings." Hook said watching her closely. "Love has been all to rare in you life hasn't it? Have you ever even been in love?"

"No, I have never been in love," she lied. She looked back at him finally and asked, "Have you?"

She watched his body tense slightly, "Have I what?"

Danny scoffed, "Oh please, you know what I'm talking about." He remained quiet, slowly pulling himself up, his tight grip on the vines turned his knuckles white. Danny rolled her eyes and sighed, "Fine. Have. You. Ever. Been. In love?" She grit out, annoyed that he would make her spell it out.

It was his turn to avoid eye contact, "Yes, once. A very long time ago."

Danny saw the anger and pain radiate throughout his face and rigid body, "Rumplestiltskin didn't just cut off your hand, did he?"

Hook growled slightly, his head whipping around to look at Danny. "How the hell did you know that?"

"You're not that hard to read either." Danny said simply.

The rest of the climb was silent, and the two were left to think about what the other had said and the memories they had brought up, which caused the rest of the climb to go by quickly.

Danny and Hook panted slightly as they finally reached their destination. It was a vast courtyard, the size of a football field, smashed to pieces, and left to ruin. Skeletons of long fallen giants littered the ground adding to the desolate setting.

Hook and Danny jumped off the slightly steep ledge that circled the beanstalk, and onto the floor of the courtyard.

"Is this..." Danny trailed off looking around at the skeletons, "Is this where the battle took place?"

"Yes," Hook said quietly, before turning to her. "Give me your hand."

"What?" She said looking down at a small cut on her hand.

"You're hand, its cut," Hook said, making his way toward her concern on his face, "Let me help you."

"Oh no," Danny pulled away, objecting, "I'm fine, its just a scratch, I can handle it."

"No," he grabbed her wrist with his hook, gently pulling her to him, "Its not." He stared her down, daring her to protest.

Danny huffed, glaring slightly, "What now you're going to be a gentleman?" she asked skeptically.

"Giants can smell blood," he whispered cheekily, "and I'm always a gentleman."

"Yeah," Danny laughed, "The shameless flirting is completely gentlemanly."

He grinned at her response, before taking a bottle from his bag. Danny watched intently as he pulled the cork out with his mouth, and poured the dark liquid onto her cut.

She inhaled sharply when the liquid made contact, through clenched teeth she ground out, "I really hope you didn't just waste good rum on my hand."

"Yeah, a bloody waste," he replied nonchalantly, looking closely at her hand.

"You could have at least let me have some first," Danny grumbled, looking forlornly at the dark spot it had created on the ground.

Hook cocked his eyebrow at that comment, as he wrapped a dark bandana around her hand as a makeshift bandage. "Here's the plan," he started, "we wait for the giant to fall asleep, and when he does, we'll sneak past him into his cave, where the treasures are, where the compass lies..." He trailed off as he tied the bandana, bringing his mouth to her hand to pull the knot tight.

Danny watched, breathing heavier than before, "And then?" She whispered, not wanting him to know that he was getting to her. _Dear god_, she thought, _I wonder what else he can do with that mouth of his_. She shook her head slightly to get rid of the inappropriate thoughts, this was hardly the time or place to be thinking those things.

"Well, then, we run like hell," he breathed, letting go of her hand.

"We don't have time to wait for a giant, that may or may not fall asleep. We need to use the powder that Mulan gave us. We've gotta knock him out." Danny replied intently.

"Well thats riskier." He said, unsure.

"Then waiting for a giant to fall asleep when we need him to?" She asked dubiously. "Come on, Hook. What's life without a little risk?" She quipped tauntingly.

Hook grinned at her, "Point taken. Oh, you're a tough lass," He flirted, pulling open the bag and offering it to her.

Danny looked down at the tattoo on his forearm, "Milah," she read, "Is she...?" Danny trailed off, not wanting to anger him again.

"Yes," He said curtly, not wanting to talk about it. "Y'know, for someone who has never been in love, you're quite perceptive."

"I guess so," Danny replied, just as shortly, signaling that the conversation was over.

Hook watched as she walked away avoiding eye contact, knowing that there was a story there. One that he was determined to find out eventually.

** A/N: First of all, thank you to the two people who reviewed the last chapter. To the person who asked whether I plan on going into season three: yes I do plan on it, especially with what I (hopefully) have planned. And also, yay! Hook/Danny flirting and interaction. I'm really happy with how this chapter has turned out. I know its a bit shorter than the last, but I think that the next chapter will probably be really long because I haven't found a good place to end it. I know I haven't put much in about Danny's background, but believe me when I say I'm working on it, and yes I do have a plan. **

**Thank again for reading!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: Finding the Compass**

Danny huffed angrily, "Tell me again, why I'm the one that has to climb up this stupid statue?"

Hook laughed quietly at her behavior, as he grabbed one of the bones from the floor, "I can't exactly get a good grip when I only have one hand, love."

She situated herself on the shoulders of the statue, knees on either side, gripping the stone hard with her thighs.

He looked up at her, nodding slightly before calling out to her, "You ready?"

"Yeah, yeah," she grumbled, pulling open the bag and holding it out in front of her.

Hook nodded and jogged over to a large piece of metal twice his size that was lying on the ground. Knocking loudly on the shield three times, he watched the door warily, waiting for the giant to come out.

After a few tense seconds, they heard a loud, angry roar come from inside, followed by tremors that shook the ground, signaling that he was on his way.

The statue that Danny was on shook, causing her to grip the statue tighter; afraid she might fall off.

Soon after, a hulking figure made its way out the door, eyes straight ahead, not noticing Danny perched on the statue. The giant looked around angrily for the source of the noise.

"Ah, shit," Danny swore quietly; she needed the giant to look her way, in order for him to inhale the powder.

"Oi!" She heard Hook yell loudly, running in front of the giant arms raised. "Hey! You big git! Yeah you, huh! You want to kill a human?" he taunted, slowly making his way around the giant. "Huh? You want to kill a human? Well I'm the worst human around! So come on! Come on then! Come on then!" Danny looked on impressed as he ran around to the giant's side that was closest to Danny. The giant let out a shout as he went to grab Hook, only to get a face full of the sleeping powder that Danny threw at him.

The giant fell with a thud, causing Danny to almost lose her grip on the stone.

Danny looked over the side cautiously to make sure that the giant was down for good. "Hook?" She called, slightly worried that the giant had fallen on him. "Hook?" Panic laced her voice when he didn't immediately respond.

He popped up at the giant's other side. "He's out cold," he called back looking at the giant. "I don't mean too upset you, Danny, but I believe we make quite a team."

She rolled her eyes and slowly made her way down, not wanting him to see the relief on her face that he wasn't dead.

"Let's go steal a compass," she said ignoring his comment.

Walking inside the giant's castle, Danny gaped at her surroundings. The treasure room went on for miles, thousands and thousands of gold piles, stacked to the brim. Piles of jewelry with gems the size of acorns were pushed up against the walls. It was beautiful.

"How in the hell are we supposed to find one measly compass in all of this?" She wondered allowed, gesturing to one of the gold piles closest to them.

Hook walked ahead with purpose, "They hoarded all their greatest stolen treasures in here, piles of jewels and every room filled with coins." His voice trailed off. Danny, who had walked ahead, looked behind her to see what was wrong.

"Are you seriously sniffing a piece of gold?" Danny said incredulously.

"Treasure, my dear, has quite a lovely smell," he smirk lazily, still holding the coin.

"Shouldn't we be more preoccupied with finding the compass?" She stressed, trying to get her point across to him.

"What's the rush?" He looked at her, eyebrow cocked.

"How long do you think magic knock out powder lasts?" She deadpanned.

"I have no clue," he dismissed.

"Thats my rush."

He tapped the coin, contemplating it, before stowing it away in one of his pockets, "To right lass," He made his way towards her, "Come, everything we need it right in front of us."

They came upon a room, much wider than the hallway. Treasure was thrown haphazardly around on the floor, piles of it cluttered the walkways.

"This giant seriously needs to invest in a housekeeper," Danny remarked after seeing the room. "We better start looking for the compass," she added worried about the giant waking up.

"I wonder how much treasure we could carry down the beanstalk? In addition to the compass of course," he added seeing Danny give him a stern look

She ignored him, and instead looked around. "What the hell?" she asked aloud, seeing a smaller skeleton in the middle of the room; one that was most certainly not a giant.

"That would be Jack," He said walking around the skeleton.

"Giant killer, Jack?" Danny asked. Seeing his nod, she motioned to the sword, "With that toothpick?" she asked unconvinced.

"It packs quite a whollop, you'd be surprised," he said stepping backwards.

Danny, seeing him about to activate a tripwire, did thing only thing she could think of to stop him. "No, wait!" She yelled, stepping over the skeleton and grabbing his waist, pulling him towards her into a rather compromising embrace.

He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer and grinning down at her, "Its about bloody time," he said seductively.

A shiver shot up Danny's spine as she felt his breath on her skin, all coherent thought left her for a moment as her eyes rested on his lips.

She tried pulling away from his grasp, his arms tightening around her as she did so, "Where do you think you're going?"

She grabbed his hand and hook from around her back and pushed them to his side, mutely trying to get away from his intoxicating scent in order to get her thoughts straightened out.

"There's a trip wire," she nodded up at the cage that would've come down if he had tripped it. "Quite a security system." Danny shook her head trying to get rid of those last errant thoughts running around her head, wondering what he tasted like.

"Well I suppose it'll excuse for grabbing me," he played with her hair, "next time don't stand on ceremony."

"We need to find the compass, Hook. And go home," Danny said seriously.

"What no flirty quip to send right back at me?" He goaded.

She sighed and ignored him, carefully stepping over the tripwire. He watched her, smiling, knowing that he had gotten to her, before carefully walking after her.

After they had been searching for a while, Danny grew frustrated, "What, so its just lying around somewhere in here?"

"Allegedly," he remarked. He walked over to a golden gate and beckoned her over, "Give me a boost, would you love?"

"Oh yeah? What are you pocketing this time?" Danny asked.

He grabbed her wrist, looking at her intently, "Try something new, darling, its called trust."

She hesitated for a moment, before nodding her assent and crouching down ready to help. A loud pounding caught her attention, however, before they could do anything to get to what he was after. They both turned at the noise that signaled that the giant had woken up.

"Someone's up," Hook said, his tone wary.

The piles of treasure started falling down as the thunderous footfalls drew nearer. Hook reach out his hand towards Danny to steady themselves, "Quickly," he said urgently, "get under something!" He led Danny away from where they had previously been standing.

Suddenly the giant was in the doorway, he growled at them when he saw them and started charging towards them.

His rapid footfalls caused some of the ceiling over Hook to fall, "Killian! No!" Danny yelled, pure panic rising in her stomach as she saw him disappear under the rubble. She tried to make her way towards him, to see what had become of him, but the giant had grasped her in his hand before she could move a step.

The giant raised her up to his eye level, gripping her body tightly. She glared at him levelly, desperately trying not to show the panic that was making its way through her body. She squirmed trying to get him to let go, "I'm not what you think!"

"You're a thief," He said angrily, "and you poisoned me, so yeah I'm pretty sure you're exactly what I think!"

"No! I swear! You have a compass, I need it so I can get back to my home!" She said desperately.

"I don't care what you need!" He started to grip tighter, his anger getting the best of him.

"Please, my sister has a son! We need to save him! Don't you have a family?" She said hoping to get him to listen long enough for her to find a way out.

"No! Because humans killed them all." He began to squeeze the life out of her, Danny was struggling for air, her vision was blurring, so she did the only thing she could think to do in that moment. She bit the giant's thumb as hard as she possibly could.

"Ahhh!" He yelled dropping her from his grasp. Danny rolled off his lap and onto the floor. Getting up as quickly as she could, Danny started running towards the trip wire, hoping she might be able to cage him. Jumping over the rope, she grabbed Jack's sword, readying herself. When the giant got close enough she swiftly cut the wire, dropping the trap cage onto the giant.

Holding the sword up threateningly, she hesitantly stepped closer. "Nice security system. Efficient," she said softly. She moved to cut him with the sword, but stopped when he shouted.

"No! No no no no no!" He cried.

"You know what this is," she said, "My guess is its dipped in some kind of poison. You have a compass, I need it."

"You're going to kill me either way," he said resolutely. "Go ahead. Kill me." He closed his eyes, brows furrowed with anticipation.

Danny shook her head, "You don't know me."

"I know your kind!" He said, voice thick with emotion. "They massacred us and destroyed our beans!"

"I heard it the other way."

"Yeah well, that's because the victors get to tell the story," Danny moved like she was about to kill him, "Okay! Stop!" He fumbled around in his pocket. "Here." The compass slid out from underneath the bars. Danny lowered the sword and grabbed the compass, "See?" He said angrily. "I'm not the bad guy."

Danny smiled victoriously, before pocketing the compass. The sword at her side, she contemplated what to do, "Maybe you are telling the truth," she mused. Knowing he was alone from Hook's story she dropped the sword, raising her hands in a peaceful gesture. Looking at the side of the cage she noticed something shriveled up, "Is that a bean? Could this make a portal?" She said hopefully.

"Not anymore," he replied, "It was destroyed like the rest of them. I wear it as a reminder, a reminder that you're all killers!"

"You're wrong" Danny said to him, picking the sword back up(should he escape and try to kill her again)and walking away.

After a few steps, she heard a shout of anger, and shards of the cage came flying at her. Danny crouched, covering her head, hoping to avoid the flying debris. Standing readily with the sword raised, she watched in awe as he moved to grab a large rock that had previously been covering an exit. He threw it aside, "Go," he said.

"Why?" Danny asked curiously.

"Because you could have killed me, and you didn't. You get one favor, go before I change my mind." He said hurriedly.

Danny went to move forward, but stop when she remembered Hook, "No wait, please. I could have killed you before that when we knocked you out. One more favor." She bargained.

"What do you want?" He practically growled.

Danny smiled, "I need to check on my friend, see if he is alive. Then we will be on our way, I swear."

He nodded and started walking away, "Leave quickly," he called back to her, before he disappeared in a different room.

Danny ran over to the rubble as fast as she could with her bruised body. Getting on her hands and knees to look for him, "Hook!" she cried seeing his body on the floor underneath the rubble. Thankfully he appeared to be unharmed. "Hook!" She called again seeing him struggling to get out from under the rocks.

Crawling out from under the rocks he looked at her with an emotion Danny couldn't decipher. "You called me Killian," He said quietly, staring at her intently.

Danny's brow furrowed, "What are you talking about? No i didn't."

"Before the rocks fell on me... I heard you say my name... Were you actually worried about me?" He asked genuinely.

"I-I, pshh no of course not," Danny fumbled with her words, not wanting to admit that yes, she had been worried about him.

He looked at her skeptically, before dropping the subject and looking away.

Seeing the compass on the ground next to her he laughed, "You are bloody brilliant! Amazing!" He panted, now sitting on the floor resting. "May I see it? The compass." He asked.

She picked it up and held it out to him, "It is more beautiful then legend," he whispered staring at the compass. "Come," he held out his hand for her, "Let's go."

Grabbing her hand, the pulled each other upright, Danny, slightly wobbly from the bruises stumbled forward, causing Hook to capture her in his arms. "Are you alright?" He asked looking down at her in concern.

Danny nodded, "I'm fine, just a little sore is all," she dismissed. "We need to go, we've taken too long already," she said remembering what she told Mulan to do.

Hook nodded before seeing something that caught his eye, "Just a moment," he said walking over to a pile of treasure.

Danny groaned, "Hook, come on, we're waisting time."

He picked something up off the ground before turning to her, smirking. "A pirate always keeps souvenirs of his conquest," he said, slipping the small object into his pocket.

Dany rolled her eyes, "Great, can we please go now?" She said impatiently.

"Aye, we can go now," Hook walked past her before calling back to her, "Waiting on you now, love."

Danny jogged after him, more than ready to get back to Emma and the others.

They made their way down a quickly as possible, but nearing the end they felt the beanstalk tremble from a great blow, "Shit," Danny said worriedly. Hook looked at her confused, unaware of what Mulan promised. "Time to jump, Hook!" She yelled, nervous and yet giddy at what she was about to do, "This beanstalk is coming down!"

"What?" He yelled disbelief lacing his tone.

Danny looked down, _not to bad of a jump_, she thought before pushing herself off the beanstalk, "Geronimo!" She cried, leaving Hook's panicked shouts behind.

Danny landed hard on the ground below, knocking the air out of her lungs, "Oof," She grunted.

Rolling onto her knees, she looked up and saw the tension between the four women before her. Mary Margaret had Mulan pinned, while Emma was gripping Aurora tightly, all four of them frozen in their actions staring at Danny.

"Hey, guys," she said airily, "How's it going?"

"Danielle!" Mary Margaret cried relieved, running over and hugging her daughter briefly. "Are you okay?" She demanded helping her up off the ground.

"Yeah, except for the two earthquakes and free falling off of a beanstalk." She said lightly.

"I did what you ordered," Mulan said sternly, "Nothing more than that," Danny waved her off, implying it was fine. "Did you get it?"

Danny pulled it out of her pants pocket and tossed it to Emma, allowing everyone to crowd around her as they all stared at the compass.

Unaware that Hook had finally made his way down, the group was startled by his shout of anger, "That was a bloody stupid thing to do Danny!" His hook gripped her wrist and pulled her around easily. Emma, thinking he might hurt her sister started forward, only stopping when she saw the look on his face. The concern on his face slowly faded as he saw that she appeared to be fine. "Stupid, brash woman, jumping from a beanstalk!" He grumbled. Everyone's jaw dropped in shock as he pulled her into a tight hug as he reassured himself that she was ok.

Danny's arms hung limply at her sides for a moment while she comprehended what was happening, hesitantly she wrapped her arms around his waist hugging him back.

"Sorry," she muttered softly, only loud enough for him to hear.

After a few moments, he seemed to realize what he was doing and quickly let her go, ruffling her hair and brushing it off as if it was completely natural for him to hug her.

Emma cleared her throat awkwardly, and Mary Margaret pulled Danny off to the side, "You told Mulan to cut it down?" She questioned.

"I couldn't risk-" Danny tried

"We all go back together," Mary Margaret cried shaking her shoulders, "That is the only way! Do you understand?"

Danny looked away before nodding. Mary Margaret pulled her into another desperate hug, "Good," she whispered, "Now let's go get the ashes from Cora,"

"And go home," Emma added, watching the pair.

**A/N: For those of you wondering who I picture Danny as, I would have to say Jennifer Lawrence when she played Tiffany in Silver Linings Playbook. I know she might not look all that much like Emma, Mary Margaret or Prince charming, but she is the closest actress that I can think of to how I picture Danny. Wow, I just realized that all the actresses in that family would have the name Jennifer, or something close to that. That was totally unplanned, I swear. Also, I hope Hook isn't to OOC at the end of the chapter, I just really want him to be a little softer. I also really like that little interaction between the two, because I like it when he gets all sweet and concerned.  
**


	7. Chapter 7

**IMPORTANT, PLEASE READ **

**A/N: Hello lovely readers. I've been writing diligently for the past few days and I am almost to the point of Hook's inevitable betrayal. Now there are two scenarios that I have ideas for, and I quite like them both, for different reasons of course. Anyway, I've decided to leave it up to you all; you can vote in the reviews, or sending me a private message. Now I'm not going to say much about the scenes except for this: the first one will have Hook/Danny interactions that will (hopefully) make you all very happy; however, don't decide just yet, because the second scenario will give some more insight into Danny's past. Granted, if you do vote for the first, I will eventually rewrite the flashback into another chapter, but I have no idea when that will be and it may not be for a while. I'm going to give you all three days to send in your votes. Monday evening, I will determine what the consensus is. Thank you for reading.**

**Chapter 7: Guilt**

As they made their way into the forest, Hook pulled Emma and Mary Margaret aside, "We should start looking for a place to camp for the night," he spoke quietly so as not to be overheard.

"Why?" Emma asked reproachfully, still not trusting him. "We still have hours before sunset, and we should be getting as far away from that beanstalk as possible."

"I agree... However..." He trailed off, reluctant to say anymore.

"Spit it out," she said, frustrated at his hesitation.

"Its about your sister," He said, eyes shifting towards Danny, who was walking up ahead with Aurora.

"Danny?" Mary Margaret asked concerned, "What happened?"

Hook sighed, not wanting to betray her trust, but knowing that she was very likely in pain. "The giant attempted to crush her to death," he said mindful of his words, "I was... not in a position to help her at the time, and I fear the giant may have injured her more then she lets on."

Mary Margaret gasped at the news, bringing her hand up to her mouth in mortification. Emma glanced over at Danny now, watching her movements intently.

Unaware of the attention, Danny was limping slightly, and breathing shallowly so as not to irritate her ribcage anymore then was possible. Every time she moved she felt like her body was on fire. Danny set her mouth determinedly into a hard line so as not to clue the others in to her injury, she'd be damned if she was thought of as weak due to a silly injury.

"Alright," Emma finally responded, "Mary Margaret, could you tell Mulan to look out for somewhere to settle?"

"Of course," she replied, walking away quickly, worried about her daughter.

Hook nodded gratefully before starting to move away from Emma, but Emma wasn't having any of that. She grabbed his arm firmly and pulled him back to face her, "None of this means that I trust you, Hook," she hissed. "Just because Danny has some misguided faith in you, that doesn't mean that I won't kick your ass to the curb the minute you screw up."

Hook wasn't impressed, he looked down at her hand gripping his arm and slowly pried her fingers off. "Have some faith, love," he said irritated at her attitude. "Like I said before, you're far safer company than Cora."

He quickly walked over to Danny before Emma could get another word in.

"How are the ribs, darling?" He asked.

Danny who hadn't heard him walk up, jumped at the sound of his voice. She gave him a pained smile, "Oh y'know," she breathed, "about as painful as the rest of my body. I'll probably be black and blue all over tomorrow."

Hook looked at her guiltily, "I'm sorry," he told her honestly, "I should have protected you better. It should have been me."

"Hey!" Danny scolded, smacking his arm lightly. "You were knocked out by a ceiling that fucking fell on you! There is nothing that you could have done. Don't think like that, its over. Whats done is done, Hook."

"It doesn't matter! I told you that I would protect you and I failed," he said, angry with himself.

Her tone softened at his words, "And like I told _you_, I can protect myself," she paused slightly seeing the words have no affect, "Killian," she tried, he looked at her intently, "please don't blame yourself." She put a hand on his arm, reassuring him that she was fine.

After a moment, that self-assured grin was back on his face as he reverted back to his old self, "That's the second time you've said my name today," he teased, "I think I'm growing on you."

Rolling her eyes, Danny smiled, glad that he was okay again. Shoving him playfully, Danny joked, "Yeah, you wish."

"Hey," Mulan called to the group, effectively cutting off their conversation, "We should set up camp and rest here for the night."

Danny sighed in relief at the news that they were stopping. She hoped that a good nights sleep would give her ribs some time to heal, so that she could actually walk in the morning. At the news, the other women had begun to set up camp; taking out bedrolls, searching for firewood and setting up a shelter for Aurora. Danny watched helplessly, debating whether or not she should offer her assistance.

"Here, darling, let me help you with that," Hook gestured to the bedroll she had in her pack. Seeing her open her mouth to argue, Hook held up his hand, "Its the least I could do." He took the object from her bag before she could protest and set it beside the one he had already laid down for himself.

"That's a little presumptuous, thinking that I'd want to sleep next to you, don't you think?" Danny teased. "For all I know you could keep me up with your snoring all night."

Hook put his good hand to his heart with a faux-insulted expression on his face, "I am appalled that you think I would snore, love," as an afterthought, he added seriously, "Though I would not object to keeping you up all night with other methods." He winked with a cheesy grin on his face.

Danny looked him up and down exaggeratedly, "Even with my injuries, I highly doubt you could keep up, _love_," she mocked, before plopping down unceremoniously on her bedroll.

Hook watched her intently as she closed her eyes, falling asleep quickly after their long day. "Oh I don't doubt it," he muttered to himself, all joking aside, before he laid down on his own bedroll next to her.

Ever since Hook had pulled her aside, Emma had been watching her sister and the pirate intently. Catching snippets of their conversation, Emma had been surprised when she heard Hook blame himself for Danny's injuries, and was even more so when her sister didn't completely blow off his feelings.

After all the years Danny and Emma had spent together, Emma knew how her sister usually acted around men. "Love 'em and leave 'em," Danny liked to say. She was a flirt, but that was her way of coping; coping with the abandonment and heartbreak that came with the sisters' lives. Danny had one night stands, while Emma threw herself into her work. They both never really had time for anything before Henry had come along. Even then, however, Danny had only really gotten to know Henry, even Ruby was kept at arms length.

But now, Emma could see something different between her and the pirate. Natural chemistry, friendship in the making, call it whatever you want, but this wasn't typical Danny behavior.

_Could Danny be experiencing feelings for this man_? Emma pondered; in previous situations like that, Danny had been blunt, harsh even at times to the person trying to talk to her. In most cases, she even told them to quit being a baby about it and to fuck off. _It can't be_, Emma thought forcefully, _there has to be another explanation_... _But what if there isn't, _she questioned_, what if she starts to care for him? Something she hasn't done since- shit! _she cut herself off, a whole other thought coming to her. _What happens if he betrays us? She'll be devastated. How can I protect her from that if she's already begun to like him?_

_ Stop it in its tracks, _a small voice said in the back of her mind_, yes, _she thought resolutely, _stop it before it can develop_._ At least until we can get back to Storybrooke and away from Cora. That way I'll know for sure if he is trustworthy. _Emma thought victoriously; she couldn't, wouldn't let him hurt her sister, the only constant in her life, the only one she had ever been able to rely on.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: This is just a short little chapter to hold everyone over while I finish the next few chapters. A bit of Hook/Danny as well as some sisterly Emma/Danny moments.**

**Also, none of you guys have voted yet, which kind of worries me. Mostly because if you don't vote, then that means I'll have to chose which version I want, and it most likely won't be the one that is a fan favorite, which means I'll be ducking virtual tomatoes thrown at me. I'd really rather not have that, so if you all could pretty please with a cherry on top vote, then I'd be much obliged. If you guys have any questions about it feel free to PM me, I can try and clear up any confusion.**

**Chapter 8: Dreams and Memories**

Danny had slept very well despite the hard ground; so well in fact that Emma had to shake her roughly from her sleep.

"Mmmm, fuck off, Em," Danny mumbled, slapping away Emma's hand. She rolled over onto her stomach, and face planted into her pillow trying to fall back to sleep.

"Not a morning person, is she?" Hook called over from where he was sitting, laughing quietly at Danny's behavior.

Emma huffed, before stomping over to get a bucket of water from the stream that they had camped by. "You wanna play the hard way? Fine, we'll do it this way," Emma ranted to herself.

She walked back over to her sister calling in a singsong voice, "Danny! Last chance to make it easy on yourself," smiling evilly when her sister raised her arm above her head, flipping her off.

"Suit yourself," Emma said, promptly pouring the bucket of cold stream water over her head.

Danny shot up quickly from her makeshift bed, gasping from the ice cold water, looking very much like a fish out of water.

Once the shock had worn off, Danny turned around slowly, eyes alight with fury. "Oh, Em," her voice was sickly sweet, "You really shouldn't have done that."

Emma fled laughing loudly as Danny lunged for her, forgetting her painful ribs for the moment. "Emma get back here, you little piece of-" as she ran past Hook's perch, he reached out and caught her from behind, pulling her to him in a tight embrace. "Hook! Let me go!" She flailed wildly in his arms, desperate to catch her sister.

"Oh no, darling. We wouldn't want you to kill your sister before you get back to Storybrooke," he murmured with a smile. His warm breath hit her still damp skin, causing her to shiver, but not from the cold.

"Wait a minute..." she stiffened as realization hit her. "You knew what she was going to do, didn't you?" She turned around menacingly in his arms.

"Now, now," he stuttered slightly at the look on her face, arms dropping to the side as he took a step back. He made to run for it, but she had caught him by the jacket and tackled him to the ground, effectively straddling him and pinning his arms above his head.

"Uh uh, you're not getting away that easily," she purred, before rubbing her hips against his. His look of dread was quickly replaced by desire as she held him down; he groaned deeply as her hips made contact with his. Her wet shirt clung to her body, giving him a glimpse of her lithe figure. Her grip loosened on his hands as she rocked back and forth, allowing him to roll her over quickly onto her back. He kissed her passionately, tongue forcing its way into her mouth as ground his hips against hers. Her legs wrapped around his body, hands running through his hair and tugging him closer. They broke from the kiss, gasping for air, as he trailed his hook down the fabric of her shirt, slowly ripping the fabric apart.

"Killian," she moaned, eyes closed at the cool sensation of his hook against her heated skin.

"Yes, love?" He smirked that cocky, self assured grin of his.

Danny didn't get a chance to respond as she was harshly awoken to the sound of Aurora's cries. She sat up panting softly at the intensity of her dream, not daring to make eye contact with the man who sat beside her, a questioning look in his eyes.

Getting up stiffly, she walked over to the creek and splashed some water onto her face hoping it would help cool her down. Rubbing her face, she tried blocking the invading thoughts of the dream she just had.

Crouched deep in thought, she didn't notice her sister approach. "Danny," Emma said softly so as not to startle her. "Are you alright?"

"Hmmm?" She hummed still lost in thought.

Emma sighed and sat down next to her sister, nudging her shoulder lightly. "Are you still having nightmares Danny?" Emma asked, jumping to conclusions.

Danny hesitated, not wanting to tell her sister what she really dreamt about. "Yeah," she whispered, only half lying, "Not as often as before, but often enough."

Emma nodded sympathetically, "Maybe you should try talking to Dr. Hopper when we get back."

Danny shook her head vigorously, "I'm not going to talk to some stupid head shrink Emma!"

"Hear me out, Danny!" Emma cried exasperated."It's been almost eleven years, and you're still dreaming about it? Can't you see how unhealthy that is?"

"I'm dealing with it!" Danny tried.

"No you aren't Danny! If you keep going on like this..." She trailed off, not wanting to alienate her sister with another fight. "I can't lose you too, Danny," she finished dejectedly.

Danny looked down, ashamed of herself, "Em, I'm sorry," she started quietly, "I didn't realize... I didn't think you knew how bad it was."

"Of course I knew. I always knew. You weren't very good at hiding it... Not to mention the fact that you called me the night before our 19th birthday, drunk out of your mind sobbing into the phone," Emma replied, her eyes starting to water at the memory.

Danny nodded, remembering the memory.

_"Emma?" She cried into the phone._

_"Danny?" Emma's voice was groggy, "Danny, its 2 in the morning, Neal and I are trying to sleep."_

_"Emma, I'm sorry, I just... I needed someone to talk to," her sobs reverberated in her chest. "It's been two years and it still hurts just as much as it did then."_

_Emma was alert now, realizing what was going on. _Fuck_, she thought_. How did I not remember? _"Hey," she said forcefully into the phone, "Danny listen to me." Danny had stopped rambling, but her sobs still echoed through the phone._

_"Yeah, Em?" She said quietly over the phone. Those two words broke Emma's heart, she had never heard her sister sound so utterly helpless before. The thought of her broken was so devastatingly different than the normally, strong and independent Danny_

_"It'll get better," Emma said, not knowing what else to say. "It'll be okay," she whispered, over and over until she started to believe it herself, until her sister's sobs quieted down and she fell asleep._

"Its not that bad anymore," Danny mumbled weakly. "But, if the nightmares continue I-I'll visit Dr. Hopper."

Emma hugged her sister, smiling sadly, her eyes still glassy. "Thank you, Danny. Talking about it will help, I promise," she said reassuringly.

Danny nodded subtly against Emma's shoulder, though inside she didn't believe her sister's words.

"Girls," Mary Margaret called to them hesitantly, breaking them both out of their reverie. Danny pulled out of the hug, looking over to the others who were not-so-subtly watching them.

"Yeah," Danny questioned with a neutral face.

"We need to start discussing our next plan of action," Mary Margaret said softly.

Danny nodded and stood up, offering her hand to help Emma up as well, before she whispered to Emma, "It'll be okay."


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Okay, to anyone who's already seen the new episode last night: holy hell, I got goosebumps. I'm also fairly certain that I am now head over heels in love with Colin O'Donoghue. So yeah, it was a great episode. Anyway back to the story, the way the voting is looking right now, people want more Hook/Danny interactions, but don't worry! You will find out about her past still, I just have yet to incorporate it back into the story. Oh and I hope you all liked the Hook/Danny moment in the previous chapter, I know it was mean to make it a dream, but I had just kind of started writing it and then felt it would be moving to quickly for them to actually get all hot and heavy... Oh and finally, holy shit! there's almost 2,000 hits already! So this chapter is a reward for all my lovely followers**

**Chapter 9: Arguments**

"So, Hook," Mary Margaret addressed him, "Can you take us to where Cora is?"

"I have an idea of where she is hiding out, but we need to be extremely cautious. If she knows we are coming, she will likely enchant the area around her to keep herself protected," Hook replied thoughtfully.

"Is there any way around such a spell?" Mulan queried.

"Not one that I know of," Hook said seriously.

"Wait a minute," Emma interrupted, "Do you even know what she has planned if she gets her hands on the compass? How she plans on getting to Storybrooke before we do something reckless."

Hook shook his head, "No, unfortunately, she never shared that aspect of her plan with me."

Emma threw her hands up in the air with frustration, "Well then what good are you?" she shouted angrily. "You're useless!"

Danny shot up from her spot on the ground, standing in front of Hook who looked like he was about to strangle Emma. "Back off, Emma," she growled, "He already helped us get the compass, he told us about the ashes. What more do you fucking want? He's not a magician, he can't just make something appear at _your_ beck and call."

"Both of you, shut up!" Mary Margaret raised her voice, standing in between the two sisters.

Danny huffed in irritation and sat down at Hook's feet, before tugging him down with her tuning out the rest of the conversation. He chuckled quietly, "What are you doing, love?"

"Nothing," she replied, "Just making sure you don't do anything brash."

"What could I do?" He asked innocently.

Danny smiled, "I know your fairytale well enough to know that you're a dangerous man, Hook."

"Well," he responded slyly, a smile tugging at the edge of his lips, "most women like a dangerous man."

"Is that so?" Danny deadpanned, looking unimpressed.

"Oh aye, it is. I'll bet you do as well, underneath that tough exterior," his hook brushed coolly against her cheek. She shivered at the touch, the memory of her latest dream still fresh in her mind. She leaned slightly into the touch, her eyes fluttering closed as she reveled in the feel of cold steel against her skin.

Hook watched her face closely as he brought his hook up to her face. He had expected her to pull away from it, disgust marring her face as most women's did when he touched them with the prosthetic. But she didn't pull away, in fact she leaned into, she closed her eyes, almost as if she enjoyed the feeling. His lips parted slightly in awe at how beautiful he thought she looked in that moment: eyes closed, the corners of her mouth pulled up into a contented smile.

Emma, seeing the interaction between the two, cleared her throat loudly. Danny opened her eyes, irritated that her sister had just ruined the moment. Hook looked away after being jarred out of his thought, and pulled his arm away setting it in his lap.

"Yes, Em?" Danny asked, her tone bored.

"Mary Margaret, was going to go hunting, I was thinking that you could go look for some berries or something," Emma supplied.

Danny huffed, exasperated, before getting up, "Because I totally know the difference between poisonous and nutritious plants in this world."

Hook was about to volunteer to go with her, when Emma spoke quickly, "Mulan can help you."

"Fine, fine," Danny relented, "but I know when you're up to something, and I will find out what you're trying to do, eventually." Before walking away, she turned to Hook, and pet his head. "Mmmm," she grinned lazily, "Just a soft as I thought it would be."

She sauntered away calling back to him, "See you later, Mr. Dangerous."

"Captain!" He corrected, calling back to her with a smirk.

The whole day, Emma plotted to keep Danny and Hook apart by sending them on errands and assigning useless chores to do around the camp. She even recruited Mary Margaret by convincing her to spend time with Danny, that it could help resolve their relationship. Of course, Danny wanted nothing to do with that just yet. She was still struggling with the idea that her parents hadn't abandoned them because they didn't love her and Emma. So she spent the day trying to dodge Mary Margaret's attempt at bonding without seriously hurting her feelings. As night fell, Mary Margaret's efforts lessened and her spirits fell as Danny continually pushed her away.

Danny had made an excuse, saying that she need to go find firewood for the night. Mary Margaret, dejected, had sat down at the edge of the camp, thoughts drifting towards her husband. He was back in Storybrooke waiting for them to come back safely. She was trying to stay strong for Emma and Danny, but at the moment, all alone, it was difficult for her to maintain the facade. Mary Margaret was tired, tired of all the conflict that had plagued her for years. She yearned to just get back to her home and rebuild her life with her husband and newly reunited family.

She was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't hear Emma walk up to her, "What are you doing?" She asked curiously.

Mary Maragaret broke out of her trance, startled slightly, "Uhh, just thinking." She looked down, putting on a mask of confidence before she looked up again at Emma questioningly.

"Mulan has an idea for what Cora might be planning!" Emma said happy about the first bit of good news they'd had in hours.

Mary Margaret stood up, following Emma back to the camp. Aurora had already fallen asleep, while the others had kept trying to brainstorm ideas for what they could do.

Aurora tossed about it her sleep, dreaming about a burning room.

Danny, who had been out gathering firewood, found her moving restlessly in her sleep. Dropping the firewood, she hesitantly crept toward Aurora, wondering if she should wake the young princess up. There was no need however, when Danny had gotten within arms length, the young women shot up.

"Snow!" She cried desperately, looking around for the older woman. "Snow!"

Danny stepped back, seeing Mary Margaret and Emma rush over to the scene, "Hey," she said calmly, "I'm here. Its okay, its okay. Its just another nightmare." Mary Margaret and Emma crouched down, trying to comfort the woman.

"No this time was different," Aurora stressed. "There was a little boy h-he, he put out the fire, he talked to me."

"A little boy?" Mary Margaret asked confused.

"What did he say?" Emma asked curiously.

"He said," Aurora looked down, trying to recall the dream, "he said his name was Henry."

Mary Margaret turned to look at Emma, shock marring her face. Emma desperately searched her pockets looking for her wallet. When she found it she grabbed the photograph out of it and gave it to Aurora, "The boy you saw in your dream, is that him?" She asked urgently.

"Yes, this is Henry." Mary Margaret stood up, pacing, as Mulan and Hook walked over to see what was going on.

"That's impossible," Emma breathed, "It was a dream. How could you dream of my son?"

"I have no idea," Aurora stuttered.

"Maybe it wasn't a dream," Mary Margaret said quietly.

Emma stood up and turned to her, "What?"

"That room," Mary Margaret said reluctantly, "I've been there."

"When I told you about it you didn't say anything!" Aurora said angrily.

"You were terrified, I didn't want to make things worse by telling you I thought it might be real." Mary Margaret insisted.

Mulan disbelievingly shook her head, trying to catch up, "A room in a dream is real?"

"A sleeping curse," Mary Margaret realized. "It has to be! I went through it, Aurora went through it!"

"Henry's been though it because I didn't believe him," Emma whispered horrified.

"Emma," Mary Margaret tried to console.

"What else did you lie about?" Aurora demanded.

"I was- I wasn't lying!" Mary Margaret exclaimed. "I was protecting you."

Aurora's eyebrows rose in doubt.

"What else did he say?" Emma asked softly. "Henry, in the dream?"

"He just said his name, and then I woke up. It was over."

"Emma," Mary Margaret said, face bright with an idea, "Its going to be okay."

"We are so far from okay!" Emma spoke forcefully.

"No, we have a way home now," Mary Margaret said happily.

Danny and Emma spoke at the same time, "Say what?" "We have a compass, and the wardrobe ashes are still with Cora!"

"Any attempt to steal from her would be suicide," Mulan said rationally, Hook nodded in agreement.

Mary Margaret looked in between them all, smugly, "Not anymore. We can stop her."

"I'm not exactly hearing an explanation here," Danny cut in annoyed.

"Rumplestiltskin," she said simply. "He'll know a way."

Hook growled at the sound of his name, "Why in the world would the crocodile help?"

"We're on better terms with him, then the two you are," Danny offered when no one else did.

Emma ignored the two, "Henry. We can talk to him. Now we can communicate!"

"Whoa wait, wait," Aurora said nervously.

Emma turned around with a determined look on her face, "Oh yeah princess, you're going back to sleep."

Aurora's face took on a look of fear and dread mixed together.

"Oh no. Not so fast," Danny said quickly coming to the princesses aid. "Don't you think that she might've had enough for the night?"

Emma looked at her incredulously, "What are you talking about? We have a way of getting back now!"

Danny stepped up beside the frightened girl. "That doesn't give you the right to order her around! I saw her tossing and turning in her sleep, that sure as hell doesn't sound like a walk in the park to me. Why don't we give her a little break before forcing her to do it all over again," Danny said heatedly.

Emma opened her mouth to argue, but Danny beat her to it, "If it were me, would you make me go back into my own nightmare?" She said, her voice deadly calm.

Emma knew that tone. The calm before the storm. If she didn't answer correctly, Danny would chew her out. She opened her mouth again to answer hesitantly, when Aurora beat her to it.

"Its okay," she said softly to Danny, "I'll do it," her voice trembled slightly, but her face was set into a hard line of determination.

Danny calmed down slightly seeing the girl's face, before stalking away trying to get rid of her pent up anger. Hook looked on passively at the others before moving to follow Danny, but Mary Margaret had beat him to it and was already following quickly.

"Danny?" She called hesitantly.

She heard a quiet sigh and an answering, "What?"

Mary Margaret followed the noise and found her younger daughter sitting up against a tree, arms hugging her knees closer to her body as she stared off into space. "Are you alright?" She asked quietly, not wanting her daughter to pull away

Danny took a deep breath and let it rush out quickly before answering quietly, a strained look on her face, "No."

Knowing she would have to prod Danny into speaking about it, Mary Margaret crouched sat down next to her before she continued. "What did you mean earlier about having nightmares?" She asked softly.

Danny blinked at her before looking down at her knees, "Damn, I guess I got a little carried away... Did everyone hear that?"

"It was kind of hard not to, Danny," she answered.

Danny nodded reluctantly, "Emma and I were separated when we were 15. I didn't like the family that I was sent to, so I ran away. I lived on the streets with-" she cut herself off, "I lived on the streets for two years. It wasn't... pleasant," she said. _Pleasant is an understatement_, she thought disdainfully. "Sometimes... I have dreams that I'm back there. Emma is... was the only one who knew about them."

Seeing the pain on her daughter's face, Mary Margaret wrapped one arm around Danny's shoulders and squeezed tightly. "I can't imagine what you went through," she whispered, "but I want you to know, Danny, that I will _always_ be here for you from now on. I promise."

Danny scoffed and pulled away, "Don't make a promise that you can't keep. You'll leave. Just like everyone else!" She said cynically.

"That's not true!" Mary Margaret said determined.

"You say that now, but just because you don't want to doesn't mean that you won't," Danny turned away from Mary Margaret, desperately fighting the tears that threatened to fall.

"Danny," Mary Margaret whispered morosely, "What happened to you?"

Danny whipped around angrily, Mary Margaret's words sending her into a rage. "That's the thing!" She shouted, Mary Margaret looked stricken at her sudden change of mood. "You would know if you had been there! But you weren't, so why don't you just stop acting like everything is alright between you and me!"

Mary Margaret's face was contorted with surprise and guilt, her own tears threatened to fall at the harsh words. Danny turned away after her outburst, not wanting to see the affects her words had. She walked away quickly before Mary Margaret could call her back.

Entering the camp, Danny found that Aurora had woken up again and was speaking to Emma and Mulan quietly. Hook was standing a few feet away from the group, watching them as they conversed. Danny walked up to him quietly and looked on at the trio. Hook looked sideways at her, seeing her normally pale face reddened, her breath coming out in short puffs.

"You alright, love?" He asked, turning his body towards her.

She rolled her eyes, not looking at him, and muttered heatedly, "Why does everyone keep asking me that?"

His interest was piqued at her frustration, "You look a bit flustered, is all."

"It's nothing," she said shortly still not facing him.

"You know you can talk to me, darling," he insisted.

She nodded slightly before turning to him finally, "I don't really want to talk about it, Hook." At seeing his nod, she turned back to the group, noticing that Mary Margaret had returned, eyes puffy and red. Hook noticed as well, but didn't comment, storing it away for later.

Emma stood up, before addressing the group, "We're going to find a safer area to camp until Aurora can speak to Henry again."


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Okay, since just about everybody voted for Hook/Danny moments then thats what it will be. I will be posting that chapter most likely in a few days time, so don't worry your pretty faces. It is the next chapter, so it will be up relatively soon, and I apologize that you all have to wait a little longer, but you know the saying: good things come to those who wait, or some shit like that. Anyway, here's the next chapter.**

**Chapter 10: Conflict**

The group packed up their things quickly, and began their search for a more strategically advantageous area. Danny walked next to Emma and Hook up in the front of the group.

"Taking orders from the crocodile," she heard Hook mutter darkly, "Stupid, stupid idea."

Danny wanted to say something, but over the course of their walk so far, Emma had been glaring daggers into Hook's head when Danny so much as looked at him. After an hour of this, she'd stopped, trying an avoid a fight between the two. _I'll confront her when we stop_, Danny thought wearily, tired of her sister's foul mood towards the pirate.

"How close are we?" Emma broke the silence impatiently. "Henry could already be waiting in that Neverworld."

"No, we planned to meet back there in two hours," Aurora responded.

"We are not going to leave him waiting," Mary Margaret smiled, amused by her daughters impatience.

Emma turned to them, "Yeah but what if he's-"

"He was fine," Aurora assured.

"There," Mary Margaret pointed, "That looks like relatively safe high ground. We'll set up camp there; Aurora, you'll settle in and find Henry, get the information we need from Rumplestiltskin." Danny saw Hook tense at the mention of Rumplestiltskin. Wanting to comfort him she reached for his hand and squeezed, silently reassuring him. "And we do this fast, in and out, its still dangerous here."

Danny knew there wasn't much she could say to assuage his thoughts, but she hoped that she could give him some small comfort. Hook had looked sideways at Danny when she grasped his hand. She wasn't looking at him, not wanting Emma to notice the exchange, but her presence helped settle his murderous thoughts.

The group settled into their hastily made camp watching and waiting as Aurora fell back asleep. Danny had gone to stand with Hook, but had faltered at her sister's angry glare. Changing tactics, Danny marched up to her sister, fed up with Emma's hostile attitude.

"Is there a problem?" Danny demanded.

Emma was taken aback at Danny's harsh tone, "What are you talking about?" Emma replied coolly, not wanting to fight with her sister.

"You think I haven't been seeing the glares you've been throwing Hook's way every time I go to interact with him?" Danny said hotly. "What is your problem?"

Emma scoffed, "Do you really have to ask? I. Don't. Trust. Him." She ground out, jerking her head roughly towards him.

"Yeah, we've been over that," Danny said, irritated. "But I don't remember you glaring at him like that two days ago!"

"Don't you think you're getting a little too close to him?" Emma shot back. "Its only been three days, Danny, and you're already getting chummy with the guy."

Danny laughed mockingly, "Well, gee, Emma. Weren't you the one that told me I needed to start making friends?"

"Yeah, with people in Storybrooke! People we trust!" Emma said loudly.

"No, Emma. Those are people you trust!" Danny cried.

"So, what you trust him," Emma motioned wildly towards Hook, "over the people we've been living in a community with for over a year?" She asked incredulously.

"So what if I do?" Danny responded coldly. "What are you going to do about it?"

Emma was at a loss for words; she gaped open-mouthed at Danny's revelation.

At that moment, Mary Margaret walked up, looking between the two, "Hey, you guys okay over here?"

Danny nodded stiffly, before storming away to check on Aurora.

"How's she doing with all of this?" Danny asked Mulan.

Mulan looked up at Danny, hesitating before she spoke, "This dream is dangerous," she said quietly, "I'm worried about her."

Danny's eyebrow quirked up in confusion, "Dangerous? Dangerous how?"

Mulan gestured to a large burn on the princess's forearm, "That wasn't from the sun," she said simply.

Danny gasped at the burn, enraged at the girl's foolishness. "Why? Why would she endanger herself like that? We could've found another way!"

Mulan watched the woman fume, surprised at her reaction, "Yes, foolish indeed," she agreed before continuing, "but she wants to help. She didn't want to sit idly by, while she could have done something to help."

Danny rolled her eyes, but nodded, understanding her reasoning.

All of the sudden there was a noise, just past the edge of camp. "What was that?" Mary Margaret asked warily, causing Danny and Mulan to look up.

At Mary Margaret's backward glance, Danny rested her hands on the daggers at her hips, shifting slightly to protect the sleeping princess. "Mulan," Danny called quietly, "Perhaps you should wake Aurora up."

The warrior nodded and started shaking the girl to wake her up. Danny looked over at Hook and saw him looking around, sword half drawn. Danny heard Mulan shouting for Aurora to wake as the first of them stepped out of the forest. They were dressed like the slain villagers, and they fought ferociously. One came up to Danny, swinging his sword wildly towards her. Danny ducked just in time and slashed at his chest before kicking him away. Mulan fought next to her, both of them trying to protect Aurora. Danny watched as the same villager that she had just wounded got up without hesitation.

Over the fighting she heard Emma call out, "Any idea how to kill these things?"

Danny tackled the zombie-like creature before shouting back, "Try cutting off their heads," she did just that and jumped up quickly before another one could approach.

Knowing they were outnumbered, Danny followed Mulan and Aurora as they made a run for it, in the opposite direction of Hook, Emma, and Mary Margaret.

Mulan grabbed Aurora's arm and shoved her ahead, "Hurry, Aurora, go!" One of the attackers grabbed Mulan's ankle causing her to fall. "Danny, take care of her!" Mulan called desperately after them, before she turned her attention to the zombies.

Danny grabbed Aurora's arm roughly as she stopped looking back at Mulan, "She can take care of herself," Danny said to the princess, pulling her along.

Danny tried to out run the zombie that had followed after them, knowing that her daggers could hardly hold off anything other than a sword.

Over her soft pants, Danny heard a growl behind her right before something slammed into her back. Falling roughly, Danny's head knocked against a large rock, causing her to black out.

The last thing she heard was Aurora scream her name.

Meanwhile, Emma, Mary Margaret and Hook had stayed together as they fled from the creatures that couldn't seem to die.

Hearing someone rapidly approach, Mary Margaret readied an arrow, pointing towards the woods ahead of them.

Mulan ran out of the bushes, "They took them," she cried desperately. "Aurora and Danny are gone!"

The three of them gasped at the news, dread rising in their stomach's. Only Cora could be behind an attack like this.

Through her panic, Emma's thoughts directed themselves towards the one person she felt was the blame for all of this. Whipping around, she pointed furiously at Hook.

"You! This is your fault! How did Cora know where we were? You've been a spy all along haven't you?" Emma demanded, distraught that her sister was in danger.

Hook started slightly at the accusation, before fury welled up within him as well. How dare she blame him for this! "This is all Cora's doing. I played no part in this! I don't know how her minions found us, but it sure as hell wasn't me!" Hook yelled, tired of her mistrust. "Why would you question me now? After what I've done for you, for your sister? Look at me, have I told you a lie? I brought you to the compass, I risked my own safety for it!"

"I knew we should have left you tied to that tree. I don't know what Danny saw in you, but she was wrong!" Emma cried angrily, blinded by her emotions.

Hook took a deep breath trying to calm himself, "I haven't betrayed you. Please, I think I know where Cora will take them, I can get Danny and Aurora out!"

Unbeknownst to him, Mary Margaret had snuck up behind him, wielding a fallen tree branch. Seeing Emma's eyes look behind him, Hook whirled around, hand going to his sword just before he was struck unconscious.

"I can't take that chance. Not when my sister is in danger," Emma said staring down at him, face grim. "Come on," she said looking at Mulan and Mary Margaret. "It's time to go."


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Hey all, so thanks to the wonderful grapejuice101 we now have a banner for the story! Woohoo. The link is up on my profile. As for this chapter, here it is! The one you (didn't know) you've all been waiting for! Hope you guys like it, I've never written anything quite like it before. And holy crap you guys! We've gotten to over 3K hits! Thank you guys so much**

**Chapter 11: Fleeting Moments**

"Danny!" Aurora called worriedly, shaking the unconscious woman. "Danny, please wake up!"

Danny jerked awake, hands going to the daggers on her belt, glad that she had sheathed them before she had fled with Aurora, otherwise they would have been lost.

Groaning, Danny sat up slightly, wincing at her still aching ribs. "Where are we?" she muttered groggily, shaking her head minutely, trying to clear her it.

"I don't-" Aurora was cut of by the sound of the door being opened.

Danny looked up squinting at the intruder. A sneer of disgust making it way onto her face when she saw Cora. Cora walked up to them carrying a tray loaded with two plates of food, "I thought you might be hungry, I hope you enjoy stew," she said, sounding very much the part of a cordial host.

Aurora stared back at Cora, sitting with her back straight, looking every bit the princess that she was. She and Danny remained silent, looking at the food suspiciously.

"I enjoy anything, that masks the bitter aftertaste of poison," Aurora said coolly. Danny smirked at that, _the girl's got balls_, she thought gaining some respect for the princess.

Cora chuckled quietly, "Plucky," she smiled, "I like that."

"You might as well go," Aurora said matter-of-factly, "we aren't going to tell you anything."

Cora nodded, "Oh I know, that's alright, you have nothing to tell. You weren't my target."

"The compass," Danny grinned smugly. "Sad you lost it?" She taunted.

"I suppose... but now I have something to trade for it," Cora said softly.

"They'll never trade me for that," Aurora respond surely.

"You? No," Cora dismissed, "but you're friend. Oh yes, Snow White and her daughter would do anything for their family back."

She made to walk out before pausing and turning back, "And what stakes do you have in their cause, Princess?" Aurora looked down at her question. "Its not as though you'd travel back with them." Cora continued.

Seeing the determined look on Aurora's face, Cora sighed patronizingly, "Oh, what a sweet misguided notion. Did you _really_ thing you could have a life there? Find another prince? You've forgotten Philip already." She jeered.

Aurora looked up affronted, "Philip is in my heart _every_ moment of everyday. If there was anything I could to bring him back, I would."

"Is that so?" Cora asked. "What if I told you that when a wraith consumes a soul, it merely travels to another realm. But that soul can be brought back to this world. Show me a little courtesy and I may explain how." She smiled deviously.

Danny looked warily at Aurora, knowing how tempting that offer would be to the princess, but Aurora held her own. Kicking the tray of food up onto Cora's dress, Cora cried out in anger, breaking her cool facade.

"Oh, you stupid, ungrateful girl!" She cried angrily.

"I'm not as stupid as you think, nor are my loyalties so easily bought! You can bring me a hundred meals and make me a hundred promises, but I will never help you!" Aurora's voice rose with her anger.

"Aurora!" Danny cried moving towards her, as Cora shoved her forcefully against the wall with magic.

"Plucky," Cora repeated softly under her breath, before stepping up to a crow that was perched in the cell, "tell them," she said simply while stroking its breast, before turning quickly and striding out the cell.

Taking her pulse to make sure she was still alive, Danny sighed in relief as she felt the strong rhythm. Pulling Aurora's motionless body into her lap, Danny tried to make the princess more comfortable, so she wasn't in very much pain when she woke up.

Looking around the small cell, Danny recognized it as the prison that her, Emma and Mary Margaret had been brought to when Mulan had taken them captive a few days ago. Feeling guilt well up in her stomach, Danny looked down at Aurora's peaceful face, silently apologizing to her that she hadn't been able to protect the younger woman from this.

Suddenly feeling weary due to the days exertion and her still aching ribs, Danny softly stroked Aurora's hair in a calming motion, lulling herself to sleep.

Danny awoke to someone calling her name softly as they shook her awake. Danny opened her eyes to find herself looking into those sea blue eyes that she loved so much. Aurora was already freed from her shackles, fidgeting slightly from nerves as she watched the door.

"Hook!" Danny exclaims, throwing herself into his arms and hugging him tightly. Pulling away, she realizes that he's alone, "Where's Emma?" she asks wanting to see her sister.

"I had to come alone," he says quickly, eyes darting to the door. He takes her chained wrists and breaks the screws holding them together with a large rock. He looks to Aurora and points to the door, "Go, before Cora comes back," he says firmly.

Aurora whispers a quiet thank you before moving to leave. Hook stops her before she gets to far, "You can thank me by doing me one favor," he says seriously.

"What?" Aurora asks suspiciously.

"Give Emma a message for me," he smiles slightly, "Tell her that the deal still stands in my eyes. If she provides me passage back to her realm, I swear I will help her find that dust that opens the portal." Danny's eyebrows rose in surprise. _What did Emma do?_ She thought irritated.

"You really do want to assist us don't you?" Aurora asks, convinced.

"If it hurts Cora, I do. Now go."

Danny moves to follow her, but Hook turns back, catching her wrist with his hook and pulling her back towards him. Knowing it will probably be his last chance to look at her without seeing hate prevalent in her eyes, he wraps his arms around her, hugging her to him.

"Hook," she protests, but he cuts her off, shaking his head softly.

"Killian," he corrects before capturing her lips in a searing kiss.

Danny gasped softly in surprise, allowing Hook to slip his tongue into her mouth, pressing his tongue against hers. Its everything like she had dreamt, and better. His lips crush against her, insistent and hopeful. The kiss is desperate, demanding and begging her to respond.

Danny raised one hand to his hair pulling lightly while her other gripped the collar of his jacket. Both hands pulled him closer. Their bodies are pressed flush against each other, his hand gropes her backside, as he softly drags his hook down her back before pulling her hips to his. He pins her up against the wall as she wraps her legs around his waist. Danny threw her head back moaning at the contact, heat pooling in her abdomen. She thug on his hair bringing his lips back to hers, before he lowers his lips down her neck, sucking and nipping at her pulse point. She fists his hair insistently pulling him in for another kiss, "Oh, fuck," she moans against his lips as he grinds his hips against her core.

The sound of her voice is enough to bring him back to reality; he kisses her again, softly this time, stilling his other movements, before resting his forehead against hers. She blinks rapidly while slowly untangling her legs from his waist, knees weak from the kiss.

She smiles, remembering what he said just moments earlier, her hand trailing down his jaw softly.

"Killian," she whispers with a smile before kissing his soft lips once more.

He nods, smiling at the sound of his name on her lips, before nudging her away, "Go," he says urgently, "I will follow soon, I just need to take care of something."

As he watched her leave, a pang of something resonated deep in his chest, but it was too late. He'd already made his choice, and its sitting in his bag right now, just waiting to be used.

Still wobbly from the kiss, it took a moment for Danny to gather her surroundings as she runs away from the previous safe haven. Catching up with Aurora proved to be relatively easy, considering that the princess was running for her life.

"Where do we go?" Aurora cried, voice on the edge of panic. "They've probably moved already, how will we find them?"

"I don't know," Danny replied quietly, hoping to calm the princess, "but I do know that we need to get as far away from here as we can."

Aurora nodded and they continued running in the opposite direction of where they had come from.

After they had been running for a few hours, the stumbled into a clearing, and found Mary Margaret pinning down Mulan, holding an arrow against her throat. Just as she moved to attack, Aurora shouted desperately, "Stop!"

Emma's head whipped around, "Okay, don't take this the wrong way, but how are you two here?"

Aurora strode up to Mary Margaret, while Danny approached slowly, "Let Mulan go!" Aurora demanded ignoring Emma's question. "I said let her go!"

Mary Margaret stood up quickly, surprised at the younger woman's forceful tone.

Mulan stood up quickly, "Were you followed?"

"No," Danny said confidently. "Cora probably knows we are gone by now though."

Emma stepped in, brows furrowed in confusion, "How did you escape?"

Aurora looked over at Emma answering, "It was Hook." Danny's stomach fluttered slightly at the mention of his name, her face growing warm at the still fresh memory of their kiss. "He let us go."

"Why?" Emma asked baffled.

"Is there a reason he shouldn't have?" Danny challenged, staring hard at her sister.

Emma fumbled slightly for an answer, before Aurora answered Emma's question, "Because of you. He said he wanted to prove to you that you should have trusted him, that if you had trusted him, you could have defeated Cora together. That the two of you could have gotten the remains of the wardrobe, without him you'll have to go up against her all by yourself. He only wants to help, I think he may care for you." Emma's eyes lowered in shame at the thought that she may have ruined their alliance with the pirate.

Danny's eyebrows raised in confusion as warning bells went off in her head. _When had he ever shown that he was interested in her? _She thought back to the past few days_. Aurora had seen their cool disposition towards each other, why would she say something like that? _Danny shook her head dismissing it, _no_, she thought, _the girl must be naive, what other explanation could there be?_

Back at Cora's camp, Hook grimaced when Cora spoke that last sentence. _Care for the blonde? Hardly. I hope Danny doesn't catch that_. He thought negatively. _Now her, I may just be beginning to care for... _He shook his head, ridding himself of those thoughts. He couldn't be emotionally compromised now that they were on opposing sides.

Outwardly, he smirked, stroking his hook. "Nice touch, that."

Cora smiled evilly, "But you know they won't trust you," she warned.

"Eh, she doesn't have too," he shrugged, "all I need her to believe is that I was genuine in letting the girl go, which I wager she does now," he smirked, leaning in, whispering, "You're welcome."

Cora nodded, still holding the heart, "Impressive, you took a heart."

"Now you have a princess," he said nonchalantly.

"Indeed, I do," Cora grinned.

Hook looked around before changing the subject, face alight with anticipation, "Now can we get on with the business of getting to Storybrooke? Together?"

Cora shrugged, "Why not? I hate to travel alone. All we need is the compass."

Hook turned away, "Which will soon be delivered."

Aurora looked at Emma, "Did you find a way to stop Cora?"

"Yes," Emma responded, holding the compass.

"Where are we going?" Aurora asked innocently.

"Rumplestiltskin's cell."

"Okay," Aurora breathed, "Then lead the way."

The group moved out, heading in the direction of their destination. Danny's suspicious thoughts forgotten as they started their journey.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Happy Halloween everyone! This is a long chapter for you all because it may be the last chapter that I post until Monday. Halloween here at my school is a big deal and one of my really close friends is visiting on Saturday, so its super hectic and I don't know if I'll have any time to post over the weekend. I also think that the chapters from now on may take slightly longer for me to post because I still need to consider all the things that I would like to do now that they are back in Storybrooke, so i apologize in advance if its a little slow going.**

**Chapter 12: Going Home**

"Ah," Mary Margaret said, "Rumplestiltskin's cell."

The group arrived at the castle hours after they had set out. Snow had led the way to the dungeon due to her having been there before. Mulan and Aurora began looking around the cell, searching for the ink.

"I haven't been here since before Regina's curse," she continued. Danny rolled her eyes at the obvious statement. "This is where he told us that you two were going to be the saviors."

Both Emma and Danny looked at her, surprised by that statement. "He knew?" Emma asked bewildered.

"Oh, it was prophesized," Mary Margaret said with a reminiscent smile. "Come on," Mary Margaret held a lantern out in front of her for light as they entered the cell.

"The squid ink, its not here." Aurora called.

"Gold said we would find it," Mary Margaret replied confused.

Mulan shook her head as Aurora continued searching, "Was there anyone else here with him? Could they have taken the ink?" She asked searching for another option.

"No, he was kept alone," Mary Margaret responded. "Visitors were forbidden; he was too dangerous to allow any human contact."

"How'd he keep from going crazy?" Emma asked curiously.

"He didn't," Aurora replied, looking down at a piece of parchment she had found.

Everyone looked towards her, "What is it?" Mary Margaret asked.

"Is that a message?" Emma said quickly.

"Yes," Aurora said, stepping towards Emma and Danny. "And I think its for you two."

"Why would you think that..." Emma trailed off as Danny took it from Aurora's hand looking closely at it as Emma read over her shoulder.

The words 'Emma and Danielle, Emma and Danielle, Emma and Danielle' were written over and over again in an elegant script, the parchment stretched several feet long.

Danny took a deep breath. Trying to lighten the tension a bit, she laughed uncomfortably, "Well, now I feel slightly violated."

No one responded to her comment as they all looked at the ominous words. Emma sat down cross legged in the cell as she stared at the paper, "What does this even mean?" She asked, frustrated.

"He was obsessed with you two, Emma, you were the key to breaking the curse," Mary Margaret panted as she and the other continued searching every crack and crevice for the ink.

"We've looked everywhere," Aurora said disgruntled. "There's no ink in this cell."

"There has to be," Mary Margaret snapped, panicking slightly. "He told David."

"You were in a Neverworld, maybe something got lost in translation," Emma tried.

"No," Mulan said, finding an empty inkwell, "she heard right."

"You found it?" Mary Margaret said happily.

"In a manner of speaking," Mulan said, "There was ink in this cell."

Emma sighed, "Son of a bitch."

Aurora suddenly threw a rock out of the cell, hitting the mechanism that had been keeping the door open.

"Aurora, what are you doing?" Danny and Mulan cried at the same time. Emma lunged to get out, but couldn't before the door snapped shut.

"Helping me," Cora's voice carried over to them from across the hall. Danny peered out the cell next to Emma, stopping cold at what she saw.

"No," she breathed, eyes riveted on the figure that she had grown so accustomed to.

Cora strode up to the cell door, a smug smile on her face, while Hook leaned against the stone wall, looking completely unconcerned. Pointing her hand toward the compass that was in Emma's hand, she summoned it to her, catching hold of the enchanted object. Cora smiled broadly at the sight of it in her hand.

"No," Emma said desperately shaking the doors of the cell.

"Don't waste your energy, dear," Cora patronized. "Rumplestiltskin, himself, couldn't escape from this cell. Thank you Aurora, we couldn't have done it without you."

Emma, Mulan and Mary Margaret looked at her betrayed, "Why would you do this?" She demanded. Danny stayed rooted to her spot, white knuckles clenched around the enchanted bars.

"How could you?" Mary Margaret asked loudly.

"Ah, don't blame her, she was only doing what she was told," Cora held up a cherry red heart glowing with magic.

"You took her heart?" Emma asked incredulously.

Danny spoke for the first time, "He did," she spat, glaring at the pirate.

He looked up for the first time at the sound of her voice, remorse visible for only a second before he masked it was indifference, "It was a gift."

Cora's fingers tightened around the heart, causing Aurora to keel over in pain. "Forgive us," she said calmly, "We'd love to stay, but Storybrooke awaits." She shook the compass before turning and walking away, Hook following closely behind.

Danny's stomach dropped as she put the pieces together. _He betrayed us, _her mind thought sluggishly, trying so hard to deny what she was seeing with her own eyes. _Freeing us from Cora, stealing Aurora's heart, that whole stupid speech about being on our side... The kiss. _Danny's eyes widened_, it was a diversion, a lie, _she thought_, _her mind clouding with rage_. He used me. _Danny screamed with rage at the realization that she had fallen for it, that she had almost fallen for him, she hit the cage with a fury she had never felt before, causing Hook's steps to falter slightly.

"Hook," Emma called, making him stop completely, Cora watching impassively from behind, "wait."

"Shut up, Emma," Danny snapped, seeing red as he stood waiting for her to continue, looking utterly bored.

Emma ignored her and pleaded with him, "Please don't do this, my son is in Storybrooke, he needs me."

He walked up slowly to the cell, "Perhaps you should have considered that before you knocked me out cold in the middle of the Enchanted Forest."

"You would have done the same," Emma said softly.

His eyes darted to Danny when she said that before looking back at Emma, "Actually, no." Emma looked down, shame written on her face when he said that, knowing it was her fault. Hook held up the necklace to her that the giant had been wearing. "Do you know was this is? Danny?" He asked looking at her to answer

"Its a bean, that the giant kept," Danny replied lifelessly. Emma tried to grab it through the bars, but Hook pulled away at the last second.

"Ah, uh, uh, uh," he said looking at it with wonder, "yes, indeed. A pirate always keeps a souvenir of his conquests-"

Danny snarled at that, "Then what did you do to earn it? If I remember correctly, you were rather useless in obtaining the compass after a rock knocked you out," she said scathingly.

Hook gazed at her, unimpressed by her outburst, before continuing, "This, well, this is much more than a mere trinket. This is a symbol, something that was once magical and full of hope, possibility," he smiled at that, "now look at it: dried up, dead, useless. Much like you. The time for making deals is done, just as I'm done, with you." He whispered to them, causing Danny's chest to ache at the words. He stepped away from them before turning his back on them.

Danny shouted all the insults that she could think of at him through the bars, "You spineless, no good, dirty-rotten, honor less, piece of shit pirate!" She slammed her hands against the bars as they disappeared from sight, before turning around and sliding down the bars. Her rage waning as they left. Emotionlessly, she gazed at her hands, raw and red, from their repeated abuse, tuning out the others as they tried to think of a plan.

Emma was determined to try and force her way out by repeatedly slamming her sword into the gate.

"You aren't going to break it down, Emma," Mary Margaret called uselessly. "It was enchanted to hold Rumplestiltskin. We don't have a chance."

"This is my fault," Aurora said, remorse filling her tone.

"No," Mulan disagreed, "its mine. Cora stole your heart because I failed to protect you."

"That's very sweet, but I believe its my fault," Emma said sadly. "I'm the savior and I'm not doing much saving, am I?"

"Could we all just stop playing the fucking blame game? None of this is our fault, Cora and the _pirate_ are to blame," Danny spat, saying the word 'pirate' like it was poisonous.

Mary Margaret sat down next to Emma and Danny, "We're going to win this fight you know, good always defeats evil," she said trying the comfort the two.

Mary Margaret's words sparked an idea in Danny. She stood up abruptly, cutting off Emma's next words. Not speaking to anyone she grabbed the parchment roughly, staring at it intently.

"Mary Margaret," she said slowly, a flicker of hope flaring in her stomach.

The woman looked up, confused at Danny's sudden change in attitude. "Yes?" She said cautiously, knowing how the other woman's mood could change in an instant.

"What would you do if I said that there was still squid ink in this cell?" She said, a smirk growing on her face.

"I would ask you what made you think that?" Mary Margaret said, not catching on.

Danny waved the parchment in her face impatiently, "Think about it! Gold always has a plan! If he said that there was squid ink in the cell, then its got to be here!"

Mary Margaret stood up quickly, finally understanding as she took the paper from her daughter.

"We are going to get out of here!" Mary Margaret said joyfully.

Emma hadn't caught on yet and asked cynically, "How? By looking at a useless scroll? Its not like its going to magically open the door for us."

Mary Margaret bit her lip happily, "Yes it is. When I was a little girl I used to sneak into Cora's chamber and watch her practice magic. She had a spell book, and Emma, the spells were in the book. Watch!" She cried excitedly. Mary Margaret held the parchment in front of her, blowing softly on the paper.

The ink flew up into the air suspended, before Mary Margaret blew once more towards the cell door, dissolving the door and freeing them.

"Danny, you're a genius!" Mary Margaret exclaimed. Looking at Emma, "Told ya. Good always wins," she said grabbing her quiver and bow.

They made to leave when Aurora called to them, "Wait. I can't go, you have to tie me up."

"No, we're not leaving without you," Mulan argued determinedly.

"I can't be trusted, not as long as Cora has my heart," Aurora pleaded. The women looked at each other, unsure what to do when Mulan replied.

"Then I will get it back for you. I will." She promised.

"Mulan," Emma said softly, "We gotta go."

"Do it!" Aurora said forcefully, sitting down where the remains of the cell were. Mulan tied her hands quickly to the metal. "Good luck," she said hopefully to the mother and daughter trio.

"Thank you, good luck to you," Mary Margaret smiled sadly at her, before they turned to leave.

"They already have a head start," Emma said quickly, "We have to hurry."

"Wait, Emma," Danny said, putting a hand on her sisters shoulder. Emma paused, quirking her eyebrow. Danny grabbed the two daggers off of her hip and offered them to Emma, "Can I use your sword?"

Emma looked at her confused, "What's wrong with your weapons?"

Danny shook her head, "Nothings wrong, but I need a sword if I'm going to stand a chance against Hook," she grimaced at the name.

Emma's eyes softened at her sisters tone, "Dan, I can take care of him if you want. You don't have to help."

"Yes, I do," she growled, before taking a deep breath and visibly calming down. "He fooled me, used me, and I will not let him get away with that." She said firmly.

Emma hesitating for a moment before acquiescing, knowing that her sister would not take 'no' for an answer. She unstrapped her sheath and offered it to Danny. Danny went to grab it, but Emma pulled it away slightly, "You don't have to kill him," she said sympathetically.

Danny gazed back at her, fire in her eyes, "I'll _do_ whatever it takes," she said firmly before grabbing the sword from Emma and stalking off.

When they were close enough to see the pair, Danny grabbed Mary Margaret's arm, stopping her. They could see Cora holding up what they assumed was the compass while she spoke to Hook. "Can you hit the compass from here? Knock it out of her hands?" Danny asked hurriedly. "Maybe take off a few fingers while you're at it," she said as an afterthought when she saw Hook place his hand on it as well.

Mary Margaret nodded confidently, notching an arrow and drawing it back. The others started forward, drawing their weapons. Danny drew her sword, eyes fixed on Hook's forms as she felt that familiar rage well up inside her.

Mary Margaret let loose the arrow, shouting as the two foes looked at her in shock, "You're not going anywhere!"

"This portal is taking us home," Emma added loudly. Danny remained quiet, her body shaking with a mixture of pent up rage and betrayal. Two emotions that Danny did not handle well.

"The compass," Mary Margaret nudged Danny, "Get it!"

Danny ran ahead, sword held down deceivingly at her side, knowing that Hook would try to cut them off from the compass. In the back of her mind she vaguely heard Cora tell him to find it before they did, but Danny was too far gone to acknowledge anything besides her instincts that were telling her to cut the bastard pirate to pieces.

Oblivious to everything else, Danny let out a feral growl as she swung her sword in front of her, bringing her sword up in a wide cutting motion. Hook blocked the attack with a grunt, causing Danny to pull her sword back and swing it again. Hook parried, holding his sword downward at the assault. Gripping the sword with two hands she swung the sword like a bat towards his chest; Hook parried easily, knocking Danny's sword out of her hands. Infuriated, and without a weapon Danny lunged forward without a thought which allowed Hook to effortlessly deflect her attack and flip her on her back. Danny tried to crawling away to grab her sword, but Hook had dropped his sword and reached for her leg, dragging her away. Danny kicked at his kneecap with her other leg, causing his leg to drop out from under him.

Looking up at someone's distressed shout, Danny saw the bag holding Aurora's heart flying straight towards the portal. Hook, seeing it as well, bent back stretching his hook out behind him to catch it before it fell in. With his preoccupation, he had let go of Danny's leg, allowing her time to get up and race for her sword.

"I may be a pirate, but I bristle the thought of a woman losing her heart," he shouted throwing the bag to an astonished Mulan, "Unless its over me," he said as an afterthought.

"You bristle at the thought," Danny sneered maliciously, "when you were the one to take it in the first place!" Danny held her sword out at the ready.

"Oh, I don't really," he said condescendingly, "I just like a fair fight." He initiated the attack this time, flicking his wrist twice, and tapping her sword with his, before he twirled around swinging. Danny raised her sword up to meet his, before cutting and thrusting. He deflected both, bringing his sword up to her own.

"Good form," he taunted, his face close to hers; Danny kicked her foot up again trying to knock him off balance, but he was expecting it this time. Catching her foot with his hook, he pulled her leg out from under her, knocking her on her back again. "But not good enough," he added. Danny grunted as her back hit the ground, thrusting her sword up in a desperate attempt to hurt him. He caught her sword, his hook wrapping around it, sword perpendicular to hers, holding it in place. He slowly leaned down, forcing her sword away from his body.

"Normally," he panted softly, "I'd prefer to do other, more enjoyable activities with a woman on her back. But with my life on the line, you've left me no choice. Bit of advice, when I jab you with my sword you'll feel it. You might want to quit."

Danny snarled, incensed at the blatant innuendos that she would've have found attractive only hours ago. Feeling the hard metal of the compass jabbing her back uncomfortably, she reached desperately behind her back, grabbing the cool metal. "Why would I do that when I'm winning," she asked, grinning sardonically and holding the compass before him.

Catching him off guard, Danny used all her momentum to shove him off, getting up quickly Danny twisted at the waist, and stomped forcefully on his foot before bringing her elbow up to his nose. Danny saw the blows cause him to stumble back caught off guard, and quickly knocked away his sword with her own. Completely defenseless, Danny held her sword up to Hooks throat, forcing him to look her in the eyes.

Danny paused for a moment before smiling maliciously. Quickly throwing her sword to the side, Danny lunged with a scream of rage tackling the pirate. Pinning his arms with her knees, Danny pulled her fist back, punching him in the jaw with a strength she didn't know she possessed. His head rolled back and he grunted at the force, dazed. Danny began wailing on him, even after she had knocked him out, oblivious to the silent tears leaking out of her eyes.

By that time, the fight had ended with Cora disappearing from sight. Mulan had retrieved Aurora's heart and was already on her way back. It took both Mary Margaret and Emma's strength to pull her away from him. Danny, realizing that Emma was holding her, quickly latched onto her sister and let out a soft cry of pain.

"Shhh," Emma soothed, rubbing her back comfortingly. Looking at Mary Margaret over Danny's shoulder, "Lets go home," she said quietly taking the compass out of Danny's loose grip, before the three of them jumped in the swirling portal.

Coming out of the portal, the women discovered that they were at the bottom of the well that was just outside of town. Climbing out proved to be a challenge, but after a few moments, the three managed; Emma climbed out first, determined to find Henry.

"Mom?" Henry whispered in surprise, hardly able to believe his eyes. Danny climbed out last, unable to do anything more than sit on the edge of the well and stare blankly at the scene unfolding in front of her.

"Henry?" Emma exclaimed, holding her arms out in front of her as Henry ran to her.

"Mom!" He shouted loudly jumping into her arms and holding her tightly.

"Oh," Emma cried happily, "I missed you! I missed you so much."

"I missed you too," he said softly. Mary Margaret stood up from her spot beside the well and hugged the pair with relief; relief that they had returned safely and that Henry was alright.

Danny watched from her place on the well, noting Regina's distraught face as well as the happily reunited family.

Mary Margaret looked around her as the she pulled out of the hug. Seeing a newly regained conscious Ruby, a retreating Mr. Gold, and frazzled Regina, she asked suspiciously, "What is it? What's going on?"

"She saved you, she saved all of you," Henry insisted, smiling happily.

Emma sighed softly and looked at Regina gratefully, "Thank you," she breathed.

Regina stood up, dusting herself off, "You're welcome."

Ruby rushed up to them worriedly calling out, "Are you okay?" Before she threw herself at Mary Margaret, hugging her tightly.

Mary Margaret returned the hug before remembering her urgency, "Where's my husband? I need to find him!" She asked desperately needing to see him.

At her sentence, a foreign feeling arose in Danny's stomach, filling her mouth with a bitter taste. _Jealousy_, a voice spoke quietly in her mind. She shook her head ruefully at that thought. _No_, she never wanted love again, she determined bitterly. _I lost it once, I will _never_ do that again,_ she vowed to herself, knowing of the imminent heartbreak that followed love. Danny watched as Ruby and Mary Margaret ran off together, before jumping off the well herself.

"Hey, kiddo," she spoked for the first time, her voice was rough from her screaming earlier in the dungeon. She ruffled his hair softly, before walking away dejectedly, back to Storybrooke.

Henry watched her leave, his smile falling a little, "Mom, what's wrong? Is Danny okay?" He asked quietly.

Emma sighed softly watching her sister walk away, rubbing his arm comfortingly, "I don't know."

Back in the Enchanted Forest, Hook was just awaking, a headache pounding through his head. Sitting up slightly, he winced at the pain lacing through his face. Rubbing his head softly, he stood up and walked over to where Cora was standing, staring at the water forlornly.

"We failed," she said, disappointed.

Hook sighed, "Really, Cora. After all this time, why do you still doubt me?" He asked curiously, holding up the shriveled up bean.

Cora laughed incredulously, "That bean is petrified, its useless," she jeered.

He raised his eyebrow before motioning to the restored lake, "But the waters have regenerative properties. Perhaps its time to do some gardening," he smirked victoriously, looking out at the lake.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Hope everyone had a happy Halloween weekend! Sorry about the short break between chapters, but I'm back now and will most likely be posting every other day or so. A bit of an angsty chapter, but it does give a little bit of insight into Danny's past. Thanks for reading I hope you all enjoy.**

**Chapter 13: Haunted**

Danny didn't meet the others for their celebratory dinner, despite Emma's pleading.

Back when they had just moved to Storybrooke, Danny had searched high and low for an apartment of her own, always preferring the solitude of living alone. Miraculously it seemed, she had found an apartment across the street from the rundown library and clock tower.

So instead of joining the others for their celebratory feast, Danny retired to her own apartment, needing very much to be alone for a while.

Danny, as was proved by the state of Hook's face after their struggle, was a very destructive person when she was hurt or angry. So, after taking out a bottle of whiskey and drinking straight from the bottle, thats what she did.

Pulling up her hair and donning her boxing gloves, which were snug due to her already swollen knuckles, Danny attacked the punching bag with all she was worth. Imagining the bag was Cora and Hook's faces helped fuel her rage, and forty-five minutes later when she was spent, she grabbed the bottle and plopped on her floor next to the window, physically spent.

Looking out onto the view of Storybrooke helped calm her down slightly as she slipped slowly deeper into her drunkenness. Danny looked out towards the water, doing a double-take at what she saw. Through her drunken haze, she saw a large vessel sailing in to port. A vessel; too big to be a fishing boat, and appeared to be flying a dark flag at the mast.

Danny stood up abruptly, turning away from the sight and throwing the bottle across the room in a rage. She couldn't even get away from that bastard pirate in her own home, even in her drunk state she thought about him. She growled at nothing in particular before she threw herself onto her mattress, deciding that all she needed was a good night's rest.

But sleep didn't come easily to her that night. That night, Danny dreamed of a memory that had been plaguing her for eleven years.

It was nighttime in her dream, _the days had been getting colder lately, and the nights grew longer; a sign that winter was on its way._

_Danny walked the dark streets of Boston anxious to get home; back to him._

_She heard a disturbance in one of the alleys up ahead. Creeping ahead, Danny watched a group of men beating a dark figure into the dirty pavement. Straining her eyes, Danny tried to see if she knew the person and debated whether she should come to their aid._

_"Keep your head low, and whatever you do _don't_ go searching for trouble," his voice echoed in her head. She nodded to herself and resolved to keep walking when she heard the telltale _snick _of a switchblade. She would know that sound anywhere, she kept one in her boot for protection._

_"Well, well, well. Looky what we found here boys. The gutter rat has a little pin pricker," she heard one of the attackers say. "Why don't we teach the boy not to play with knives?" The rest laughed at his mocking tone._

_She watched in horror as he stabbed the poor soul repeatedly in the stomach; the victim groaned with pain at the blows._

_Danny's breath caught, her heart pounded in her chest._ No! No no no! _She knew that groan, that voice. _It can't be_, she thought desperately, feet rooted to the spot in terror._

_She watched numbly as the men left, not noticing her hidden in the shadows._

_Danny looked at the man perched up against the wall breathing shallowly, knife still embedded in his stomach. She stepped forward despair filling her chest, begging her not to move forward, but needing to be positive._

_Standing in front of him, her knees buckled. She crawled forward, tears in her eyes as she called his name. His eyes opened marginally, smiling weakly at the sound of her voice, "Elle," he whispered._

_She sobbed as he slumped back, his strength fading. Trying to make him comfortable, she cradled his head in her lap, softly stroking his hair. "I'm sorry," she sobbed, "I saw it all, I could have stopped it."_

_"No sweetheart you couldn't have," he whispered, "They would have hurt you, there was nothing you could've done, not without ending up like this. You did what I said; kept your head down."_

_He was having trouble speaking, the wound was taking its toll, as blood pooled into his mouth. "No, please," she begged, "I can't live without you!"_

_He took her other hand, squeezing it, "You'll do just fine."_

_He closed his eyes, lips forming his last words, "I love you, Elle."_

_Danny screamed in denial, shaking him hard hoping it was all a joke, begging him to wake up. Grief clouded her mind as she held his limp body._

"No!" Danny shouted, shooting up from her bed, sheets pooling around her lap.

She was panting heavily, like she had just run a marathon; her tank top clung to her body with sweat. Danny put her head in her hands as she fought of the memories that always resurfaced with her dream. For the first time in a long time, Danny let herself cry. She cried over the pain of the dream, over the loss of her only love.

She sobbed over the betrayal she had felt when Hook had let her down, and the hurt that he had caused within her heart. Danny hadn't fallen for him, she convinced herself, but maybe, just maybe there could have been something there. She had started to let him in after only a few hours, when it had taken others months to crack, if they even bothered to try, that is. That was what hurt the most; that he had betrayed her trust and used her while he'd done it. It had been eleven years, and she'd finally found someone that she was willing to let in and he broke her, leaving her to pick up the pieces.

After letting out all of her emotions, Danny felt numb. The clock on her nightstand read 6:15. Knowing she wouldn't be able to sleep anymore, Danny donned on some yoga pants, running shoes and a dark blue tank top. Grabbing her iPod off of the counter, Danny slammed the front door behind her as she began running. Running to get away from her rampant thoughts of Hook and Andy; they hurt too much to think about, and Danny would do anything she could to take her mind off them.

Danny ran, and ran until she felt that her lungs were about to burst. Not realizing where she had ended up, she bent over, her hands on her knees as she panted, trying to regain her breath. Taking in a deep breath, and straightening, Danny noted that the air smelled like salt and sardines. Looking around she realized that she had stopped in front of an old Cannery next to the harbor. Flashes of memories from last night came back to her as she looked back towards the water. A ship. Sailing towards Storybrooke. One to large to be a luxury yacht or fishing boat.

Danny rubbed her head slightly, trying to remember more, but she had drunk herself into a haze and couldn't remember anything more. Looking around the docks, just in case, Danny made sure that there was nothing out of the ordinary. Shaking her head she put it off, considering it be something her mind imagined while it had dwelt on thoughts of _him_.

Unbeknownst to her, there was a pirate ship in the harbor, hidden by magic, from prying eyes, and on that ship was its Captain, hiding out while his travel companion finished her own business.

Hook was perched on the bow of the ship looking at star charts, when he had heard frenzied footsteps close by. Thinking someone had found him, he had turned quickly, sword half drawn. Looking at the figure, his eyebrows knit in surprise as he watched the figure; bent over and breathing heavily. Relaxing the grip on his sword, he pulled out his telescope. Pulling the lens out with his teeth, he looked through it at the figure.

Hook's grip slackened when he recognized Danny's figure. The picture of her panting heavily with sweat glistening on her skin, cheeks red from the exertion and cold was burned into his mind. He hadn't even considered the fact that she was here; he hadn't wanted to dwell on the guilt that had plagued him when he saw the look of hurt and betrayal on her face, the one that said she had put everything together, and most of all he hadn't wanted to think about those words she had screamed at him through the bars that were seared into his brain. He had seen her look of utter loathing at the lake only hours ago, and he had the face to prove it.

Hook hadn't gotten up the courage to look himself in the mirror yet. He knew it was bad though, he could feel it every time he spoke; he knew for sure that he had a split lip, and a bruised jaw, but other than that he didn't know how much damage she had done.

When he saw her look around the docks, he had flinched away to hide before he remembered that the witch had enchanted his ship. Realizing that she had lifted her face, Hook took the chance to study her closer: her eyes were slightly bloodshot and underneath held the light purple bags under her eyes that signaled a restless night, and behind her reddened cheeks her skin was abnormally pale. He looked down worried that her condition was his fault, and ashamed when her realized it most likely was.

After watching her leave, Hook turned away, looking back at his maps, but found that he could no longer focus on the stars long enough to make out constellations; his mind kept wandering back to the woman that had so recently captured his attention.


End file.
